


My Hero's Journey

by Luislass



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Adventure & Romance, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 85,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27925225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luislass/pseuds/Luislass
Summary: On the day of destiny, young Link's encounter with Ganondorf plays in a different way. To save her friend's life, Navi sacrifice herself to give Link a chance to fight. This events will affect the future of Hyrule in a cascading effect, changing many things.M-Sheik. Yaoi/Shounen-ai. A slightly more realistic and dark view of the world.
Relationships: Dark Link/Sheik, Link/Sheik (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 21





	1. Falling Dust

_**AN:** This is one Story that I've been postponing too long to publish. I cannot overstate how much I love this franchise and its character, so I hope I can make them justice with this story. _

_As a little side note, I don't know if can say this here, but; I felt deeply moved and inspired to do this fic because of one that I read before by the name of Soul Mates by_ _andrhats_ _. Please if you like this pairing and have never read Soul Mates before, I urge you to do so._

**To make it very clear, Sheik is not Zelda in this story. He is his own person and a man.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything on the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

_**Chapter 1 - Falling Dust** _

* * *

The cackle of Cuccos echoing in the horizon announces the coming of morning, with little sparkles of sunshine creeping from behind the mountains in the east.

For Sheik this time is far from past the start of his day. In a sacred routine of his, the young Sheikah boy gets out of his futon an hour before the sun has a chance to wake up. Like every early morning, the small golden-haired ninja-to-be climbs the walls of the impressive royal castle of Hyrule, using the vast and difficult ground of the ornate roof as his playing ground.

 _No_ _**.** _

Sheik shakes his head. He is a proud warrior of his clan, the Sheikah, and the Sheikah do not play. His time around here serves as training because even if he likes to sneak past the guards in the castle's ground, scurrying around unnoticed with small giggles, this is all part of his training to be the guardian shadow in charge of protecting the royal family.

' _This is our sacred duty since the time of our ancestors.'_

His master's words echo in one memory of his as the young boy jump from one tower to another. From the moment he learned how to walk, his aunt and teacher Impa, drilled in his head the tenets of his people.

_Walk within the shadows. Hear the whispers carried by the wind. Never expose yourself to others. And more importantly than all else, protect the royal family with your life._

Most people would find this life, his life, a crushing burden to carry. But for Sheik this is an honor without equal. This is his duty and he would never blame fate for that.

Dancing from tile to tile with grace and precision only possessed by the ones of his clan, Sheik landed with the tip of his right foot on the northern tower of the castle, the one standing right above the giant gate leading down to the lush green steps leading to the city below.

This would be the point where the small boy would take a long and pensive breath to finish his training session. But today the rising sun brought more than the comforting warmth of its light.

From the corner of his ruby eyes, Sheik notices a spot of green and golden dashing around the gliding plains running up to the open gates. At first notice, the young Sheikah drew a sharp breath, his eyes zooming towards that moving blur.

Taking a cautious step forward, the novice ninja felt his heartbeat at a furious pace. Someone was trying to break into the castle, and for all that he trained, it has never arisen a situation where he truly needed to put to work the skills he horned with such zeal.

As a small note of panic began to creep within his chest, the shifting blur moving between the guards became clear and distinguishable as a very energetic blond boy. Right then and there, Sheik's alarming senses came to a halting calm.

His fearful apprehension turned into a cautious curiosity. And so, he dropped into a crouching position, sitting above the castle like a watchful hawk, staring down at the strange green-clad boy.

Fast but heavy pressing feet sprinted across the trimmed grass. Going parallel to the small road, the boy took a hard turn at the sight of a pair of guards standing in his way. Sporting a shocked look on his face, the blond kid gasped and rolled to the side and then he rolled again.

' _That looks… ridiculous.'_

Sheik thought to himself. Taking the scene with a slight frown on his hidden face, he felt a strange amusement to the scene. He watched as the wannabe invader rolled his way across the short field, grunting and crying a bit too loudly in every roll.

His small grin of amusement quickly turned into a scowl of disapproval. As much as the boy looks cute doing his bit, this scene is completely inexcusable. How come none of the highly trained and well-paid guards standing on watch at the gates couldn't hear the small rolling boy grunting his way into the castle?

'And Aunt Impa says I could learn from the guards.' The boy snorted in disapproval.

However, as much as he would like to belittle the Hylians that take so much pride in their heritage, there is something far more pressing and interesting for him to focus on.

Shifting slightly in his watchful position, Sheik observed as the boy climbed from the shallow waterway, shaking his body like a wet puppy trying to dry off before he pressed forward to the left side of the castle's ground.

"I see you decided to disregard my orders about sneaking onto the castle's roof."

A familiar voice sounded from behind him, startling the boy back on his feet.

"Nobody sees me here…" Sheik reasoned, his small ruby eyes going upwards to meet the stern face of his aunt looking down at him.

"I saw you, did I not?" Impa replied with a small frown. "And that is beside the point. You're far past the age to be playing around. Our duty is to-"

"To serve and protected the royal family." Sheik finished the sentence before his master could, his head downcast and his voice mellow. "And I don't play around. I come here-"

"To train." This time Impa finished her nephew's sentence, giving him a short but friendly smile. "Keep saying that and one day I may believe it."

Hating to be treated like a small child, Sheik folded his arms against his chest, sulking with a fierce frown. Then, before an awkward silence could settle between the two shadow warriors, the rustling of leaves captured the small Sheikah's attention, taking him back to the object of his curiosity.

Turning back to look down at the edge of the waterway, Sheik frowned when he found no one standing there, not even the fat man that was snoring for goddess know how long.

"Where is he?" The question slipped past his lips, making his aunt give him a questioning look. "There was a boy in there. Blond, dressed in green and with a blue ball following him." He pointed down before Impa could ask. "I saw him grunting his way past the gates in the most ridiculous way possible. Should we alert the guards?" He turned to Impa as he asked.

Taking a pensive stance, the silver-haired Sheikah stared down at her pupil, her gaze fixated on him but at the same time as distant as it could be.

"No… we will leave him be." She said slowly and softly, her gaze wandering back to the open courtyard inside the castle's walls. Noting the silent confusion coming from her nephew, Impa turned back to him and smiled. "He is a guest… the princess has been waiting for him."

Sheik tilted his head to the side. Zelda never mentioned a guest to him.

As the thought crossed his mind, the boy quickly shook his head, biting his lower lip slightly. He should not be addressing the princess in such an unceremonious manner. Even though she is his only friend and a very close one at that, she still is the precious charge he is responsible for protecting.

The flash of a Deku nut startled him, in his wandering thoughts he failed to notice his aunt taking the useful seed from her pouch and throwing it down at the jaded roof tile.

Sheik sighed, he never understood why Impa always used a Deku nut to disappear away after their conversation. Surely, she could just walk or jump away as any normal person would do.

' _Who I am kidding?'_ He shook his head slightly, a short smile on his lips. _'We will never be normal.'._

Taking his aunt's flashy departure as permission to continue spying on the curious boy. He took two steps forward, and then the nimble Sheikah leaped to the large tower next to the courtyard, his eyes quickly finding the small form of the strange hat-wearing boy. Wanting to take a closer look at his attempt to sneak past the guards standing watch over this area, Sheik carefully slid down on the wall, landing on a tall column standing in the perfect spot to watch the entire endeavor.

' _A Kokiri?'_ The question floated in Sheik's head after getting a proper look at the blond boy's attire. _'No… he cannot be one.'_

He has heard the tales of the Kokiri people, or more correctly, the Kokiri children. The legends say that the Kokiri live forever, never growing up, but they are incapable of leaving their home in the forest or they risk dying before getting anywhere of notice.

Dismissing the distracting thoughts away, Sheik focused his eyes back on the energetic boy. A sneaking smile crept on the corner of his lips, pulling slightly at the silk mask hiding his mouth.

'So clumsy.' He thought to himself. 'But he is so fast too.' His curious red-eyed widened when the boy effortlessly jumped from the ground onto the ledge of the wooden support holding the green wall of leaves standing in the middle of the courtyard

This stranger surely is a sight to behold. Not remotely close to being as flexible and silent as a Sheikah, but what he lacks in those skills, the boy makes plenty with ingenuity and energy. His chubby and small legs propel him forward with way too much momentum than they should, making his ridiculous attempt to sneak past the guards a firm reality.

It is with bated breath, that Sheik watched as the boy reached the last point before his goal. The point with the least cover and places to climb over.

' _Two guards on patrol. One always covering the blind spot of the other.'_ Sheik analyzed the scene with a professional acumen that only one of his kind could. 'How will you do it?' He asked in his thoughts. _'What trick can you pull to surprise me?'_

What first started as a disinterested curiosity turned into a heart-pumping adventure. It is puzzling as to why Sheik got so engrossed by this boy and his little adventure, to get this excited about someone else was never an occurrence for the young Sheikah.

' _He is going!'_ Sheik announced with his inner voice, his eyes widening in anticipation as to how this unknown strange boy would get around his predicament.

Then, right before his ruby eyes, the most ridiculous thing yet happened. Taking the steps forth with stride, the green-clad boy just ran his way behind one of the guards and rolled right in between the man's legs, with the grunting and all.

In the most uncharacteristic thing ever do to, Sheik bent forward in a fit of laughter. The corner of his eyes watering as his muffled voice battled with his hand to fly past his lips.

' _When cornered… he ran straight forward...'_ He wiped the tears away from his eyes, his gaze watching the small back of the boy running onto the private garden of her highness. ' _So ridiculously lousy and weird. So naive…'_

Having nothing else to see in the lush and beautiful royal garden, the golden-haired Sheikah pulled on the rope that he attached at the top of the tower and brought himself up to his playing… training ground up with the clouds.

Still giggling from the absurdity of the scenes that just played in front of him, Sheik turned his red innocent eyes to where the boy ran towards. _'If we meet again, I would like to speak with you.'_

Then with one last hopeful glance towards the private garden, Sheik turned towards the other side of the castle and effortlessly jumped out of the roof. He was now more than ready to attend to his various duties for the day.

* * *

If anyone had told Link that his life would turn upside down in the span of a few days, he would have laughed at that crazy person's face. Every day the young boy would jump out of his bed, run across the Kokiri woods, and play games with Saria and a few of the friendly spirits of the forest that would come to him.

Having spent most of his life without a fairy unlike the other Kokiri around him, Link scarcely found common ground with the spirited children, some going as far as to bully him away because he was different from them. All his life he wanted nothing more but to have a fairy of his own and to finally be accepted as just another Kokiri playing pranks and music day in and day out.

It never occurred to Link that when his dream of having a fairy finally became true, he would never stand among the other green wearing child, he would never be a normal Kokiri.

Has been weeks since the Great Deku Tree passed away. Most Kokiri children blamed Link for their Sage and Guardian's fate. In small words, he tried to explain to them what happened, how the wicked man from the desert had cursed and killed their beloved tree just to try and get a hold of the Kokiri Emerald.

Yet his words fell flat onto deaf grass, as Mido overwhelmed not only him but everyone else with the wrongful accusations pointed at Link.

Link has his fairy now, Navi. His companion and friend, the one trusted to him by the Great Deku Tree, the only other being aware of the giant journey ahead of him. After so long, he gained his fairy companion, but he will never be one of the Kokiri again.

"Link, Link!" Cried out the shining blue fairy, bouncing around in the air in the way she always does to get his attention.

With a mouthful of dry bread in his mouth, the young blond boy frowned and rolled his eyes. For the little time they have spent together, Link has come to love the little fairy, he truly does. But Navi can be one of the loudest and most annoying things in the world when she wants to be, especially when Link tries to ignore her forceful suggestions.

"Link!" Navi cried out again, this time tackling softly against the boy's forehead, almost making him drop his tasteless bread on the waterfall below him. "This is no time to be lazing around! We have the stones; the princess is waiting for us."

"Shtop it!" He spat back still trying to gulp down the piece of bread. "We ran around the world for two weeks straight, a few hours won't make that much of a difference…" Link said with a pout, his cerulean eyes glancing down to the hard and not very appetizing treat in his hands. He really didn't want to eat this hard bread he got on Kakariko Village, but the grumbling noises coming from his tummy forced him to sink his teeth in and tear another piece to chew for a few minutes

Chewing down the tasteless bakery with a hard expression on his face, Link glanced around the beautiful but very chilly area outside Zora's Domain. Sitting at the very edge of the platform in front of the waterfall, the curious boy dangled his feet in the air, thinking about the crazy and sometimes scary adventures he experienced so far.

First his incursion inside the Great Deku Tree. Not something so different from what he was used to. A little bit too much Skulltulas and Gohma Larvae, but nothing he hadn't dealt with before in his explorations of the woods.

His time with the Gorons and that hot dark lizard lair was very unsettling. Dealing with the Dodongos and Lizalfos was not so hard or spooky. The worst part was the welcome back party waiting for him outside. A horde of the towering Gorons ready to crush his small body with those rock smashing hugs.

A cold shiver ran across Link's back, just imagining what would have happened had he not rolled his way around his newly declared brother and his giant friends.

Then, his mind wandered to the worst of the tree cave divings, spelunking, or whatever people will call what he does. Of all the places this last stone could be hiding, it had to be inside a giant fish/whale thingy called Jabu-Jabu. That place was definitely scary and weird.

Fighting overgrown arachnids and humanoid Lizards was easy enough, but to tackle the living cells and… stuff inside that monstrous fish. His shoulders shuddered at the memory of fighting that weirdo parasitic thing shooting thunderbolts at him.

And just to top it all, he now has a bride to him. Not that he knows what a bride is or does, but he certainly doesn't feel like having one, if his last experience with Princess Ruto was anything to go by. He cannot live his days carrying a girl in his arms everywhere, that would slow him down and everyone would make fun of him.

"Link, Link!" Navi bounced on top of his head again, this time with enough force to topple his green hat onto the wet ground. "Get up already! We have to get back to the princess."

Raising his gaze in an almost stiff look, Link sighed in exasperation. It would be easier for him to get up and move forward than for Navi to sit down and let him enjoy his awful meal. Giving his bread one last look, Link decided to drown the hard thing down onto the river and took his now wet hat from the ground with his other hand.

"Okay Navi, let's go meet with the princess again." Link jumped to his feet, waving his hat in the air to try and get it dry, then putting it right back on his head. 'Maybe the fishes will have better luck chewing on that thing.' Link thought with a playful smile as he jumped from his platform to the other one below.

Realizing that his journey is heading towards its end, gives a weird feeling in the boy's chest. Sure, the places he had to go in his quest for the princess were weird and dangerous, but deep inside he loved the thrill of exploration and the freedom he felt running around Hyrule.

What Link didn't realize in his young and innocent heart, is that his journey was not hearing close to its end, instead, going exactly to where it will truly begin. For Hyrule is not done with him and neither are the forces that threaten to destroy this newfound world he grew to like so much.

* * *

Taking a long leap across Zora's river, Link landed on top of the wild grass of Hyrule Field. A small smile of contentment crossing his lips after a well-done jump, as for the last time he tried to do the trick he landed with his bum deep in the cold water.

Dusting the moist dust from his green tunic, the young boy turned his gaze towards the giant city on the horizon.

As normal as the breezy field looked, something felt very amiss. Not only Link noticed this heavy and strange air, Navi too waved around, flapping her small wings in distress.

"There is no one around…" A barely audible whisper escapes Link's lips, his blue eyes darting to the fishing spot at the ledge of the river.

His skin crawled a little. Days before his adventure in the Zora's Domain he passed right by this point, where he, unfortunately, fell in the river. On that occasion, a pair of fishermen had chuckled at him, then waving a friendly hand over at the embarrassed boy.

A worried glance floated on the spot where he remembered the two older men sitting, but now only silence and a strange sense of desolation sits there.

Shaking this heavy dread away from his head, Link pressed forward with a newfound uneasiness, his small legs purposefully trampling over grass and dirt.

"Link!" Navi danced around him, pointing towards the west way past the city. "Look, there is something over that way."

His cerulean eyes shifting onto the foggy spot far behind Lon Lon Ranch, a cloud of dust rising as far as the sky, moving as an impending force coming towards Hyrule.

Link continued moving forward, the phantom pain in his guts forcing the boy into a full sprint, his gaze fixated on the city gates. He ran and ran, gasps of exhaustion flying from his mouth, and the more he went forward more his chest began to ache.

Flashing light scared his eyes upwards to the sky, the darkening clouds trashing and exploding with thunder. Sounds of heavy rain began to follow in Link's steps, making him heavier, making the ground sticker as if the world itself was trying to hold him back from his destiny.

Then, at the foot front of the giant wooden gate, Link saw the heavy chains give in and the towering door slowly sliding down to give passage.

Staring at the sliding gate with heavy panting, the neigh of a spirited horse echoed from within as if almost announcing the full fall of the chains.

Eyes widening in surprise, Link saw the princess of destiny on top of a horse riding in furious gallops with the silver-haired woman at the back. His jaws went rigid, he tried to call out to her, to give the good news that his quest was over and all the stones are with him. He wanted to shout that now they could save everyone just as she wanted to.

But he could only watch as the girl got farther and farther away. Her only action was to look back at him, a look of panic and distress all over her face. And in a desperate act, she threw her family's most prized treasure to the fairy boy, who was so stunned by the events that could only watch as the sparkling objected flew into the water pit next to the gate.

"Watch out!" Navi's frantic cry pulled Link back to reality, to his surroundings, making the boy turn and look at the towering figure standing right behind him.

" **Aarhh! I lost her!"** A voice of pure malice and contempt breathed in the air.

Link stared in agape at the terrifying figure standing tall on the equally evil-looking horse. He had one chance to look at this person, the man with yellow/green eyes, that bowing in humility to Hyrule King when Link first met the Princess.

But standing a few paces away, right in front of this man, it is completely overwhelming. The wicked man of the desert, there is no other way to describe this man adorned in full black armor.

" **You, over there! Little Kid!"** Link shuddered as the man's evil gaze fell onto him. **"You must have seen the white horse gallop past just now… Which way did it go?!"**

Link's lips moved but no word passed them by.

" **Answer me!"** The man demanded in darkened fury.

A singular thought crossed the boy's mind. 'He… He knows…' Link clenched his teeth, taking a step back.

" **So, you think you can protect them from me…"** Something looked different in the Gerudo's expression, his lips curled into an amused expression, not really a smile but something to show his entertainment. **"You got guts, kid."**

Drawing his sword, Link recovered the single step he had taken. "I will stop you." He declared with certainty. "You will not harm the princess!"

Then a sinister smirk crossed the man's lips. **"You want a piece of me?!"** The Gerudo chuckled. **"Very Funny! I like your attitude!"**

Brushing his left hand at the handle of the sword sitting at his waist, the man fidgets with his fingers, pulling his arm forward and pointing an open palm towards the defiant boy.

" **Pathetic little fool!"** Ganondorf called to his power, summoning a bright ball of chaotic energy and then hurling it forward.

Stepping to the side with his right foot, Link pushed his left one onto the ground, gaining enough support to swing his weapon against the incoming projectile. The two connect with a violent force, stopping the ball in its track but only for a moment. Crackling with energy, the ball exploded angrily at the cold sword pushing against it, the bolts of lightning that came from it pushing and carving into the steel, easily destroying most of the blade of the Kokiri Sword.

A cry of pain exploded from Link, the powerful impact taking him by surprise and forcing his arm back in an unnatural way, bending the bones and nerves. Feeling pain like none other before, Link fell to his knees, his left hand grasping at his broken arm.

" **Do you realize who you are dealing with?!"** A thunderous growl flew from the Gerudo, his evil eyes sneering down at the boy. **"I am GANONDORF!"** Raising his hand again, the evil warrior unleashed another ball of lighting at his adversary.

Link's eyes widened at the incoming attack, he tried to get up on his feet and slide away. But the pain at his hanging limb flared up like a burning pyre, throwing right back down to the grassy ground. Then, a flash of blue flew right in front of him, getting in the way of that cruel spinning magic and the boy of the prophecy.

"Navi!" Link cried in horror as his little friend exploded with the yellow ball, leaving only a silent cry of pain and a trail of sparkly dust falling into the mud.

Ganondorf saw the trembling on the boy's shoulders, hints of heavy tears coming onto those hateful blue eyes. This gave him no small amount of pleasure but also ending his interest in this pathetic creature in front of him. **"And soon, I will rule the world!"**

Kicking at the side of his massive horse, Ganondorf stormed forward in a rapid gallop, his eyes settled in the empty horizon to where the princess had escaped.

A muffled sniffle came from the kneeling boy, his eyes now blurred by the tears flowing down. "Navi…" Link crawled forward, his hand working towards the shining dust over the grass, his fingers digging on the dirt. "No… No… You can't leave me."

He curled down against what remained of his companion, his sobs echoing against the sad tune of the falling rain.

"I'm sorry…" Link said in between his sobs. "I-I am sorry I called you annoying that one time. I am sorry I didn't always listen to you… I am sorry, Navi… please don't leave me."

Again, and again, Link pleaded with the shining dust between his fingers, not once receiving a whisper of a reply back. As the pain in his chest began to grow stronger than the one in his arm, he latched on the words of the Great Deku Tree, the words of Princess Zelda… the words that Navi gave him.

'You need to save Hyrule.' They all said at the same time, their voices singing in the same tune, carrying the same hope. Hope that filled him with enough energy to get back on his feet and walk over to the ledge at the open gates.

Still sniffling in sadness, Link glanced down at the object lying at the bottom of the waterway, a shining and ominous Ocarina. Holding tight to his right arm, he jumped down at the cold water and reached towards the gift Zelda left him.

And as soon as the ocarina rested in his hand, a flash of light engulfed his world, taking him somewhere deep inside his own mind.

"Link…" The soft voice of the princess played to him as a memory recorded. "I leave you the key to the Temple of Time. You have to open the Door of Time. You have to claim the Master Sword. Only then you will be able to stop the dark clouds over Hyrule and save the entire world."

In a state of daze, Link tried to open his mouth, to speak back, but nothing came from him as the Princess began speaking again.

"I will teach you the Song of Time. Place the Spiritual Stones you have collected on the altar and play this song with the Ocarina to open the path to your fate." Another flash of light came from the sky, this time taking the image of the princess away, and in its lingering sensation, the tune of a song began playing to Link's ears.

Opening his eyes back to reality, Link noticed that he is standing in front of the gates. He has no clue how he climbed out of the waterway with his broken arm, but his gaze rested single-minded onto the giant cathedral at the back of the market center.

Carrying the precious Ocarina in his hand, and a heavy burden in his heart, Link stepped forward into the city. His head held low, he ignored the buzzing sound of people speaking and gossiping around him.

Hurting too much from the loss of his friend, scared and scarred from the events that just unfolded, Link marched onto the Temple of Time.

"I will stop him…" Link said in a hushed whisper to himself. "Navi… he will pay for what he did to you… I swear."

Once more the clouds hovering over the town cried with heavy thunders. This time not only from the darkness that was brought here by the evil Gerudo King but also by the glint of the dulled pain in the young hero's eyes.

A sparkle that should not be there. One emotion that, the innocent and pure-hearted, chosen of the goddesses should have never made to bear…

Hatred.

* * *

**_If you have any criticism or just want to leave a note on how you feel about this chapter, feel free to do so and I will reply in this end note at the next chapter._ **

**_For now, Thank you for reading._ **


	2. Awakening

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 2 - Awakening_ **

* * *

" _I lived for countless years In fear of this very moment."_ A deep and wise voice resonated within the ghostly chamber. _'Yet, in anticipation, I waited… for the boy of the prophecy._ ' Tired blue eyes traveled to the glistening crystal coming to life in the sacred chamber between time itself. _'Link… the chosen one.'_

Rauru, the Sage of Light, stared at the brave boy, who unlocked the Door of Time, with hope and worry in his gaze. As the prophecy had foretold, the chosen one opened the way to the Sacred Realm, as a light to bring hope. But in doing so, he also brought along the same calamity he will have to stand and fight against.

With a courteous nod, Rauru rubbed two fingers against his white mustache. As much he dreaded to think about the unspeakable evil Ganondorf will bring to Hyrule, his ascension to power also is the will of the goddess, for only then their chosen one can banish the evil forever.

' _And he will do so.'_ The elderly Sage thought with resolution.

His faith is placed not only on the small boy, who he guided through his first steps out of Kokiri Forest as a giant owl; but also in the instrument of justice and light resting in front of the young hero's unconscious form. _'The Master Sword will lead the boy to fulfill his destiny. The ultimate weapon against evil, a beacon of…'_

A pause came to Rauru's unspoken words. His pensive gaze fell on the pristine sword floating above the ethereal ground.

' _This… this cannot be.'_ Rauru's eyes trembled in fixation at the glowing symbol of the Triforce at the hilt of the sword.

The Master Sword is reacting, in a way it was not supposed to be, not in this place, not in front of its champion.

"What has he done…" Rauru spoke out for the first time, his soul diving to the shining spark of the boy's essence only to find lingering darkness in there. "The monster… What has he done to you, young Link?!"

A fickle of panic surged in the old man's chest. As sad and soul-crushing as the fall of Hyrule was, the kingdom's initial fate is a necessary evil to accept. However, if by any means, the Hero of Time were to lose his path…

'I will not think of it!' Rauru shook his head in utter denial.

Pressing both hands together, the old Sage raced through his thoughts. He would never let Ganondorf win this battle, as it would cost too much for everyone. Then, a glint of hope appeared in his eyes.

"Link…" Rauru projected his words to the sleeping boy in front of him. "My powers are limited and rapidly diminishing… keeping you here, safe, until the day you are ready to face the Evil of the world… is taking so much out of me."

Echoing whispers sounded on the chamber as if the realm itself was recognizing the meaning of the Sage's words.

"I desired to stay at your side and guide you towards the path that the Goddesses wish for you. But I cannot allow the spot of darkness within you to grow further beyond." A look of determination flashed on Rauru's face, his brow wringing in a thoughtful ache. "I will use what is left of me to purge this stain from you."

Raising both of his hands, the elder man closed his eyes and focused all of his power onto the boy frozen in time. Then, a flash of light crossed from him to Link, tugging at the boy's chest and pulling out a small but vibrant spot of pure darkness.

With violent spams, the darkness fought against the light, desperately trying to go back to where it came, to its true self sleeping cluelessly right below. But with a final flicker, it was cast aside and banished away from the Temple of Light, disappearing in a cry of anguish.

Rauru fell to his knees, painful gasps escaping him. "Link… I leave you now with heavy heart, but I did what needed to be done… and so will you when the time comes."

Slowly, the old Sage's body began to fade back into the Temple he helped create, his essence returning to the Goddesses themselves. "I wish… to leave you… with at least a few words…" Rauru stood back up with great effort, taking his right hand to the magic crystal surrounding Link's body. "Stop the King of Evil… save Hyrule… you are our only hope…"

Having one last moment left with the young hero, Rauru closed his eyes and smiled.

"Never falter before the darkness, Hero of Time."

A moment later and Link was left all alone in his refuge. Without knowledge of anything past the point of taking the Master Sword in his hand, the young boy stood locked in time until the day he would be released to confront the darkness his actions unleashed on the world.

* * *

Tap… Tap… Tap…

A continuous stream of gentle noises sounded within the silent and hallowed halls of the grand Temple of Time. A sole presence warms the otherwise cold and desolate chamber, a shadow in the corner waiting for any change.

'I am wasting my time here?' Thought the slender young man standing at the far wall behind the Pedestal of Time. 'She said I would find him here, but…'

Tap… Tap… Tap…

Sheik stared at the empty pedestal, his ruby eyes scanning the holy triangles on the floor, his mind racing at full speed, and the back of his right foot tapping on the floor in a nervous tick.

'Seven years… we have been fighting for seven years. So many people died, so much chaos and depravity in the world… Is one person truly capable of stopping all that by themselves?'

A doubtful frown grazed his features hidden behind his mask and turban. In his life experience in this living hell, no one person could change the fate of this war. Sheik witnessed a few brave souls climb through the strife, arm themselves with swords, and inspire people to charge against the tyranny of the Evil King.

All of them failed. Each one of them was broken, killed, or sometimes… worse.

Sheik grew up with the tales of the Sages, his aunt telling him countless times about the prophecy of the Hero of Time. In those simple times, where he would just climb over the castle roofs, he used to believe those stories.

Now after enduring so many scars, both mentally and in his lean body, he cannot elude himself with false hopes anymore. This harsh reality has a way to break people out of their childish hopes.

"Is this really the right thing to do, Zel?" Sheik closed his eyes in exasperation, and then he remembered the look of hope his close friend gave him. Just a few nights ago, she came to him with a bright smile on her face, one that she never wears anymore, to tell of her last dream. That their hero was coming back to save Hyrule.

In a hush of hot air, the entire room seemed to change all of a sudden. The floor trembled with a gentle shake; the walls groaned in the cracks between the rocks. A stream of blue light descended from the ceiling, hitting the floor, giving life to the giant triangles carved in the grey stone.

Sheik felt his heart stop for the moment, his eyes widening as a blurred form descended upon the large pedestal. It was impossible to breathe normally, to speak, or even think.

Even for someone as skeptical as Sheik, seeing the Temple of Time coming back to life after so many years left in darkness, it is like a spark of hope came to life in a flaring rage inside his heart.

As sudden as the grandiose light came to existence it also disappeared into nothingness, leaving behind a tall figure standing in front of the empty socket meant for the Master Sword.

Legs stiffen with hesitation, Sheik took a soundless step forward, one hand reaching to the unknown person standing a few paces in front of him. 'H-Hero…' The words came to his mind, but they never crossed his lips, and before he got the courage to call out to his charge, the other man began to move.

One step forward in this "new" world and Link's knees traveled harshly towards the ground. Both of his hands falling fast to bring support as he stared with wide eyes to his new form.

Sheik observe quietly as their Hero, stood back on his feet with some difficulty, just to try and take a few steps forwards and fall again.

The brief sparkle of hope that had flared in the young Sheikah's heart got snuffed away by a feeling of dread. 'Is that one supposed to save Hyrule?' He thought bitterly at the man unable to stand on his feet on his own.

"Hero," Sheik called out this time, once his initial awe disappeared his words came back to him.

Rolling to the side in a startled jump, Link turned to the strange person standing behind him, drawing the Master Sword in his hand and pointing at the red-eyed young man.

"Are you ill?" Sheik asked in a subtle concern, his eyes scanning the form of the green-clad man for any injures and not finding none.

Link stared at the stranger for a few seconds, his eyes studying Sheik for the odd picture he is to someone that never saw him before. Then, he shook his head and looked down at himself. "My legs…" Link replied in an embarrassed tone, jumping slightly in surprise at the change of his voice. "My legs are too big. I am not used to it."

Giving a sympathetic glance to the other man, Sheik stepped forward and offered a hand to help the young hero stand up again.

Looking at the offered hand, Link smiled in that sunshine sparkle of innocence that so few carries around these days, startling the young Sheikah even if a bit. He then grabbed the extended arm and pulled himself back on his feet.

"Thanks." He said warmly, giving the blond at his side another short smile.

Trying very hard to push away the unflattering first impression of the other man, Sheik took a few steps back and held his gaze in a neutral but respectful way. "I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time. We suffered so much and for so long in this cruel and terrible war, hanging on just with the hopes that one day you would return and bring peace back to Hyrule."

Link's expression grew cold, a look of horror spreading over his face. "War?" He repeated at first. "For seven years?! How… what happened?!"

One long sigh escaped Sheik. He never liked reviving the memories of these horrible years, but it is necessary for someone that missed all of it like the hero in front of him. "Ganondorf happened," Sheik replied coldly. "Seven years ago, he invaded the kingdom of Hyrule. Followed by the Gerudo army and an even bigger army of mercenaries, the Thieves King usurped the Throne of Hyrule, killing our King on that day…"

Silently staring at Sheik, Link tried to wrap his head around that information.

Seeing confusion still plaguing the blond man's mind, Sheik sighed again and continued. "The day you opened the Door of Time, you also unlocked the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf used this opportunity to invade the realm of the Goddesses and steal the power of the Triforce. With it, he has been unstoppable to this day."

"W-Wait… he entered the Sacred Realm?" Link said in shock. "He used the door I opened to do it… Is this all my fault?" He lowered his gaze down to the floor, confusion, and shame plaguing his thoughts.

'I wonder about the same thing.' Sheik thought with a coldness that startled even himself. "No, Hero. You've done just as the prophecy foretold; you have trailed the path which you were meant to travel. If the Goddesses knew about Ganondorf's plans or not, that is not my place to say."

"I-I… have to stop him." With quivering lips, Link brought his gaze up in a swift movement of his head. His cerulean eyes sparkling with a glint of tears in their sides. "That day... I remember it. Navi. She saved me, she stood in front of that ball to protect me." His right hand flew to his chest, clenching at the soft fabric of his tunic. "My heart still hurts. This sadness is the same as that day. But the worse part is the emptiness I feel, like something is missing from here." He tapped at his chest.

Recognizing that painful expression from the numerous faces the evil tyrant has tormented in the kingdom, Sheik felt a bit of sympathy for the young man supposed to save the world. "Ganondorf killed many in his rise to power. His soldiers murder even more innocent people every day. You are the only person with the power to stop him." The lingering doubt still plagued the Sheikah's thoughts, even as he repeated the same words Impa made him memorized for this moment only. "You are the Hero of Time. Your mission is to destroy this evil, and mine is to guide you on your journey."

"I will do it!" A renewed look of determination crossed Link's eyes as he wiped the tears away. "Ganondorf will be stopped no matter what!" He declared boldly, punching his right fist forward.

A faint smile crossed Sheik's lips, even though Link couldn't see it past the mask.

"But…" Link continued with a quieter voice. "I don't know what I have to do."

And then Sheik's smile faded away in favor of a frown. "To confront the King of Evil, you will need the power of the Ancient Sages. When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destine to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples."

Link stared at the other man with dutiful concentration.

"However, they cannot hear the call under the heavy fog of evil hovering over Hyrule. You will need to brave those temples and awaken the Sages. Only then this Evil can be banished forever." Sheik finished with a nod, giving the young hero time to process all of it.

"Where do I find those Temples?" Link asked innocently, his eyes pure and sincere.

"A friend of yours awaits in the Forest Temple…" Sheik stopped, his thoughts traveling to the chaotic state of the Kokiri Woods. A place of many wonders and mystery, but often peaceful in the past, now overrun with monsters and scum that are even worse.

"Let's go then!" The young hero replied in an oddly excited tone.

Sheik looked with widened eyes at the other man wobbling in awkward paces towards the exit. "Wait!" The Sheikah called out with an out of character high-pitched voice. "With the equipment you have right now you will never reach the temple. And even worse, the Castle City is overrun by soldiers and monsters of Ganondorf's army. You can't just walk out of here."

Link turned to him with a frown and a pout, he tried to look angry with his expression but he only managed to look cute in that way.

Sheik shook his head, there are more pressing matters at hand than finding the Hero of Time, another man, cute.

"You should travel to Kakariko Village… There you may find more about Hyrule as how it is now and maybe some means to reach the temple in the lost woods." Turning to the side, Sheik pointed to a thin rope sliding down from one of the large open windows at the top of the temple. "You can use that exit to sneak away from the city, going down the slope next to the temple you will land exactly on top of the road to Kakariko."

Link glanced from the dangling rope to the mysterious young man, his eyebrows furrowing. "You're not coming?"

A gentle shaking of the head as the answer. "My role is to guide you where I can, but I cannot travel at your side… for the road you take, no one else can."

Once again, that pout came back to the Hero's gracious features, making it very hard for Sheik to keep his cold and neutral expression from turning into a mild blush.

"Sure… I'll go alone, I guess." Link shrugged, now walking with a bit more poise as he stepped back to the large chamber, demonstrating how quickly he can adapt even to the strangeness of having a grown-up body out of a sudden. "My name is Link, by the way." Link said as he passed by the Sheikah. "Can I know yours?"

"Sheik, one of the surviving Sheikahs." The red-eyed young man responded, giving a cordial bow of his head.

A grateful smile appeared on the hero's lips, his eyes drifting from his new acquaintance to the rope at the wall. "Sheik, are you sure that you can't…" Link looked at his left side just to see that nobody was there, his eyes widening in surprise. "I guess not…" He said deflated.

With no other option left, he marched towards the wall and grasped the rope in his hands. His head still trying to wrap around the fact that his right arm was healed with no scar and that his body is now big too.

Taking the words of the strange Sheikah to heart, he climbed the wall of the temple and left to go towards Kakariko.

Standing on top of the temple's roof, Sheik watched as the naïve hero sprinted his way down the slope and onwards towards the Village on the east. Looking at the sight of the green-clad warrior marching towards his fate, the young Sheikah felt something very familiar, a dear memory coming back to him.

'Link…' He repeated the name in his mind, then a soft and sincere smile crossing his lips. 'The cute little boy from that day in the courtyard. Our hero…'

Shifting his gaze down to the hazed city below him, Sheik's expression hardened to the reality of life. Now that the hero was on his way forward, there was another mission for the Sheikah to take care of. Leaping from his spot, the spy and assassin, went down into a hidden place within the streets, using all his nimble flexibility to stay hiding and out of reach from any bystander soldier or monster.

Prophecy or fate aside, on this day, the blasted army of the Evil King will suffer a heavy loss. Because even if it cost his life, Sheik will see through his mission. An enemy commander who stole so much life from Hyrule will lose his today, as per the command of his Princess.

* * *

While the trip was at most uneventful, it ended up being very troublesome. Link tried to run at the top of his speed, which landed him on quite a few stumbles. And so, took him longer than what he remembered to reach the small town. Now there is little sunlight left to guide his roadless path.

Hot sweat drips from the golden locks of hair, leaving a stinging feeling in those cerulean eyes. Link stopped just in front of the narrow entrance to the village, both hands resting on his knees as he tried to get back his air.

A quick glance around the now heavy gate guarding Kakariko, one can notice the reality of the passage of time. In his journeys to acquire the Spiritual Stones, Link passed by the happy and lazy little town more than a couple of times. There was never a gate here, even more one made of large pieces of metals nailed together.

On the surface of said gate, it is more than noticeable that Kakariko went not unnoticed nor unharmed by what befell Hyrule. There are multiple black marks in the base and the middle of the gate, heavy dents in the sides, and one big one at the center as if something was trying very hard to get in with forceful bashes.

'No use standing here…' Link brushed the sweat away from his forehead, taking one last long breath before jogging up towards the gate.

"Ah… Hello?" He calmly clapped his hands in front of the imposing door. "Anyone home?"

Not long after his simple call, the sound of rustling could be heard from behind the messy gate.

"Erh? Who's there?" A grumpy and surly voice sounded in an inquiry. Then a bald head popped above the tip-point of the gate. "Not a usual sight, are ya?" An older man with a very wrinkled face looked down at Link. "Hail from where, boyo?"

One hand going up to the back of his head, Link scratched his hair with enough care to not mess the position of his cherished hat. "Kokiri… I guess?"

"Urh…." The old man growled pensively. "The old woods? That's unusual alright." He then gave a long and hard look at the young man yet again. "But your clothes look fairy enough. Never saw one of the Kokiri folks, can't really tell if you're being honest or not." Squinting his eyes very hard, the old man squirmed back down from his spot above the gate and right then the giant lock holding the thing steady fast began to turn and wiggle.

With one part pushing forward to open the way, Link stepped back and watched as the old man came out and walked right in front of him. "It doesn't matter much, right boyo? You don't look like one of those mercenaries and certainly not a monster." The man said with a hint of playfulness. "Name's Flint, nice to meet ya."

"Link." The young blond replied in his usual cheerfulness, earning him a single toothed smile from Flint.

"Weird name too, huh?" Flint teased Link, giving him a friendly slap on the back. "Well, welcome to Kakariko, Link. The place isn't very organized at the moment, but it is warm and safe… as safe as anywhere can be these days."

Link nodded and followed after the old gatekeeper.

Flint, as spirited as he looked with his little chuckles and few attempts of jokes, was visibly worse for wear. His face was marred with a look of worry that was clear enough for anyone caring to look at him and see. As a man of very small stature, he appeared to be even smaller with his hunched back, a demeanor that showed a lingering sadness.

Wearing clothes that looked timeworn and very battered, he walked funny with his right leg as if he was constantly stepping on a pointy little stone.

"Boyo, I would love to give you a tour around the place. Know of a few places to have a little fun your old friend Flint does." A playful grin crossed the bald man's cracked lips. "But gotta keep eyes on that gate. A few ruffians already tried to sneak in just yesterday, can't be too safe, can we?"

Link nodded back, smiling even if faintly at the older man.

"But, can't have your pretty face wandering around the wrong places, can we?" As playful and jovial as Flint's words sounded, his expression is very serious. "Feel free to explore and find a place of your own. Just keep clear of the houses at the back of town..." He sighed deeply as if just the topic was enough to dry his good mood away. "Those on the left of the old well. Even if the Evil King's lackeys didn't make to Kakariko yet, there are still a few who try to explore the desperate."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Link declared proudly. "Let's just say I can take care of myself." His gloved right hand tapping the handle of the Master Sword resting on his back.

"Oh, I am sure you can hack that pointy thing in the air very good, boyo." Flint replied in good humor. "But there are things ya can't cut with a sword, heh. Just be wary of shady people. They are as likely to strip you out of your things with swords at hand, as they are to swindle you with sweet words."

A slight frown crossed Link's expression. He was grateful for Flint's thoughtfulness but he just finds it unnecessary. From his experience growing up, the young Hero thinks of him as someone used to people trying to trick him; as some of the Kokiri would try to trick him just to make fun of him. There's no way the people in here would be trickier to deal with than the masters of pranks that are the children of the forest.

"Like I said before, have to get back on my post," Flint said with a wave of his hand. "Hope to see ya around again, boyo."

Watching the old gatekeeper walk away, with his arms folded against his chest, Link tried to keep the advice to his heart. Glancing around at Kakariko, he barely recognizes the once small but very cheerful village. Now Kakariko is a full-blown town, with way too many improvised homes built everywhere, people wandering around and some even cast on the ground with a look of hopelessness in their eyes.

A deep sigh escaped the young hero. Maybe it is good to stay clear of trouble this time.

Then a thought sparkled in his mind.

'I wonder how that funny guy Dampé is doing.' Link smiled to himself, remembering one of the unique people he met here on his previous adventure.

The old Gravekeeper was odd enough to startle the common person, but to the young and adventurous Link, he was just a very interesting character to get to know.

Clinging to the one sense of familiarity he found in this now strange new place, Link set his gaze to the other side of town.

A graveyard is not a place people go to cheer themselves, but maybe all that he needs at the moment is to see a friendly and known face.

* * *


	3. Meetings and Drinks

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 3 - Meetings and Drinks_ **

* * *

"Almost there… almost…" A faint glint of blue sparkled at the tip of a metal edge. With his right arm pointing upwards, Link is aiming very carefully his new tool at the large torch at the tall ledge on the other side of the room.

Biting the tip of his tongue with the corner of his lips, the young blond is trying for the fifth time to hit the mark using Dampé's Hookshot.

"Now!" A flush of air pushed forward, the metal spring unleashing the long chain in the air as the useful tool flew up high. "Yeah! I got iiiiiiitt!" Even after the ghost explanation, Link didn't expect to get flung out of the ground after hitting his target, making him yelp very loudly.

As the spring had recoiled back most of the chain, Link instinctively pulled his arm back, forcing the Hookshot out of the wooden surface and freeing him to spin his body forward to land safely at the side of the pole holding the blue-fire torch.

Glancing down at treasure in his right hand, his cerulean eyes sparkled with that usual glint of awe that young Link always had when finding a new tool on his adventures.

"So cool…" He said a bit more calmly now, putting the Hookshot safely in his pouch. "Can't believe Dampé would give me this just for racing him." A smile appeared on his lips. "Maybe this is what Sheik mentioned about needed something to get in the temple at the Lost Woods."

Leaving the dreary and gloomy tomb behind him, Link climbed back the decrepit old stairs, now comprised most of rotten wood, and emerged right back in the graveyard. When he first stepped inside this morbid place, the first stars in the sky were starting to appear, now the heavy glow of the moon welcomes him back to the world outside.

'With the moon at that height… then it should be a few hours past midnight.' He rubbed the back of his head in contemplation. 'Didn't think I would spend so much time down there…'

As adventurous and simple-minded as Link can be, he too knows that traveling in the dark of night is not a safe bet. It was not safe when he was little and it should not be safe now that Hyrule is drowning in strife.

Deciding that his next course of action should be to find a place to say the rest of the night, Link walked out from the graveyard, and as he appeared out of the old passageway he startled a few of the drunkards that were resting next to the moldy walls.

Giving a quick look around the still busy streets of the small town, Link tried his best to find a safe place all the while he avoided the quieter houses on the parts of the town left from the well.

His search landed him in front of a humble but very inviting building with open doors next to the stairs leading to the exit to the Death Mountain.

Stepping inside with cautious eyes, he noticed the very large tables spread around inside, with sturdy wooden chairs all around them, most of that already full with customers of the place. The only free spots he found are a few lone stools in front of the large counter littered with spilled drinks and empty glasses.

Still finding himself without other options, the young blond marched to the empty stool, taking a sit while waiting for the old woman serving drinks to a couple on the other end of the counter.

Noticing the fresh face presenting himself to her establishment, the older woman nodded to the couple and walked over to the newcomer.

"Welcome to Jina's." She said with a barely welcoming tone, exhaustion and callousness shaping the sound of her voice. "What's your poison?"

"What?" Link stared at the woman, his left eyebrow quirking up. "I don't have any poisons. Never used that stuff before. Only saw Deku Baba using it; nasty things they are, even worse if they grow big."

The older woman gave the boy a weird look, one of her hands going up to her messy and long fuzzy red hair. "What will you drink, kid?" She asked again, now both hands going to the side of her long and timeworn grey dress. "This is why you're here right? To drink your sobbing story away or to hammer your face with liquor to forget something." She brought a heavy jug of a purple liquid from behind the counter and presented a cup to the blond. "If you don't have a poison yet, I suggest this one. It will kick your senses like an angry mare."

Very confused at the woman's words, Link kindly accepted the large cup in his hands, watching as she poured the strange-looking liquid for him.

"Ah… Thank you… for, ahn… this. But what I really need is a place to stay for the night." He said curtly, shifting his nose closer to the cup just to smell the fruity scent of the beverage.

"Hah, you and half the poor souls sleeping on the streets. The other half are just vagabonds that are too lazy to do anything for themselves or anyone else." Frowning slightly, the red-haired barmaid shook her head. "Can't help you kid, all the rooms are full."

"I don't need much." Link promptly replied. "Just a small corner, to lay down for a bit. Don't even need a bed."

"Then go crouch next to a tree or something." The woman snarled. "Told you, the place is full. If you want to drink then you're welcomed to stay. If you want to test my patience, then get the hell out."

Link stared at the woman surprised at her rudeness, a light frown on his face.

"Hey, Jina." A soft voice sounded from the right. "No need to be stone-hearted like that." A brunet young man, dressed in loose green pants and an open red shirt walked by and sat next to Link. "He looks like a nice guy. Just someone in need of a friendly shoulder, right?" The man who appears to have the same age as Link looked at him with a charming smile on his lips.

Jina snorted in mild disgust, but left without saying anything else, her eyes still glancing back at the two young men as she went to pour a drink to another customer.

"She has a foul mouth and a scary face, but she means well." The stranger said, some form of admiration in his voice.

"It's okay, I don't mind it." Link replied a bit shyly, he was never shy to get to know people, but something pushed him to stay a bit reserved this time.

"Then you are a good fella too." Another one of those shining smiles appeared on the man's thin but pretty lips. "Everyone is having rough these days. Most people just forget that they are not the only ones suffering." He brought down the mug he was carrying to the counter and turned to Link, extending a friendly hand. "Nice to meet you. Name's Swift."

An unintentional snort escaped Link, forcing him to hide his mouth with one hand.

"Hey!" Swift cried out with a playful frown. "What's so funny about my name?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. Is just that your name is weird." Waving a hand in apology, Link turned to the man and took his hand. "Oh, my name is Link. Nice to meet you too."

"Hahah... And you go saying that my name is weird." Tugging softly at Link's hand, Swift gave him a soft bump in the back. "Heard that someone came through the front gate today. People say it was an oddly dressed guy with a pretty face and mesmerizing golden hair. You sure fit the description."

A flush of red crossed Link's cheeks, his gaze shifting away from the smiling brunet at his side. Unable to think of something to say back or a way to replay to that. He naively turned to his drink for a distraction.

When the first drops of alcohol slid down his throat, Link's whole face went bright red, the drink flying right out from his lips.

"Gah! W-What in the spirits in this?!" He shot an alarmed gaze at the cup in his hands. His innocent reaction to his drink making the young man at his side to chuckle softly.

"That, my friend, is Din's Fire. A liquid made of fermented fruits. something used to numb someone's mind." Swift took the cup from Link's hand and took a gentle sip from it. "I take you never drunk something like this before, huh?"

A firm shaking of the head was the reply. "I am used to drinking bitter fruit juice, but this is awful."

Swift chuckled again, his eyes shining ever so slightly at the blonde's words. "You like juice more, then?"

"Tea too… My friend Saria used to make green-leaves tea for us." Link replied sincerely.

"Hahah… you're a sweet guy Link." Swift made Link blush again, the blond this time casting his gaze down to his lap. "That begs the question, who are you?" The brunet put the other cup next to his on the counter. "I mean, most people I get to know now are just as bitter as this drink here." He tapped at the cup with purple liquid. "Hard to think of someone as shining as you in a world like this."

Link shrugged. This time he didn't respond because he truly didn't know what to say. He is just himself, there is nothing else he can explain other than that.

"Say Link, I hope this isn't a bit too intrusive, but… who are you, really?" Swift asked with a gentle but serious voice. Seeing the blonde's confusion, he continued. "I mean, what you do in life?" Turning his face away, the mysterious brunet got a look of longing on his face. "You know… I used to be a merchant trainee. Too young to own my own business, but my boss saw ambition in my big round eyes. Took me everywhere to learn after him… but that's all in the past now."

"Why?" A question aroused suddenly, surprising both the young brunet and the blond who asked.

Swift looked back at Link with a bittersweet look in his eyes. "The world changed. My boss lost his life protecting me from bandits. My dream died with him that day." A long sigh escaped the brunet, he shook his head and smiled. "Sorry for bringing up something like that. But what about you? I still don't know who Link really is."

After hearing a little about this new person, Link felt a bit more at ease to think at the question directed at him. Giving the other man a pensive look, he brought one hand to his chin and tilted his head. "I don't know… an adventurer, I guess."

"Ooh! So, you are one of those brave people who go around exploring the world?" Swift nodded his head in awe. "It's always good to meet someone who people can rely on." He took his cup from the counter and raised it in the air. "A toast to heroes like you." His lips pressed on for a quick sip of his drink.

"People keep calling me that, but I don't feel like a hero." Link's response made his companion look at him with a quirked brow. "How can I be a hero, if everyone is suffering like this?" For the first time since he escaped from the Temple of Time, his mind acknowledged the very real and sad state of Hyrule.

It didn't feel real enough for him to hear from Sheik how bad everything is. But seeing with his own eyes, made Link feel the weight of his actions. If he only had enough strength to stop Ganondorf that day, people would not be sleeping on the streets, cast aside without hope of better days.

"Hey…" A firm hand came to his shoulder, giving a warm comfort he didn't know he was needing. "You can't blame yourself over the state of the world. No one but that mad tyrant is responsible for this mess."

Link snorted quietly. 'Only if you knew.' He thought bitterly, one of his hands traveling back to the counter to retrieve his awful and bitter drink.

Weird how a few words exchanged can change so much between people, even two newly met strangers. The brunet that seemed so forthcoming and brazen, is now quietly brooding at the side, his eyes shadowed by a pensive haze.

And Link who is now trying his best to take a sip out of his mug without spiting everything into the counter again.

"Are you going to stay?" Swift asked, turning his eyes back to his blond companion. "I mean, here in Kakariko?"

"No, not really." Link glanced back at the other man. "I have somewhere to go. With the first ray of sunlight, I'll leave to the Lost Woods."

A hush of silence came haunting not only their conversation but the entire place. Link didn't need to look behind him to notice that everyone is looking right at them. Trying to ignore the many eyes fixated on him, he focused his attention on the young man staring at him with an open mouth.

"Are you okay?" Link asked in worry, his companion's face is paler than it looked before.

"Lost Woods… why are you…" Swift paused, his face growing colder. "That place is dangerous, you know?"

"I've been to more dangerous places." Link replied with a short grin. "I know that area well, despite the changes in Hyrule. Besides, I am a hero remember? Heroes can't be scared of a big mean forest."

Shushed gasps and words floated around, people not even bothering to hide their gossips at this point.

And Swift, despite the startled look on his face, broke his lips apart in a soft smile. "You are amazing, you know that?"

A fiery blush crossed Links cheeks again, but now he resisted the urge to look away from the brunet.

"Link… You know… I have a sister, she was…" Stuttering and unsure of his words, Swift looked away from his new friend. "Forget it, this is too much to ask from someone I just met."

Getting up from his stool, this time it is Link the one who pressed a firm hand onto his companion's shoulder. "What is it? Is she in trouble?"

The pair of brown eyes widened on how promptly the green wearing warrior voiced his concern, nothing but pure sincerity on those blue shining eyes.

It made Swift smirk on the inside.

"M-My sister was taken by some evil people days ago. They took her to their hidden base within the forest." Resting his cup on the large counter, the brown-haired man got up and stared right at Link's eyes. "I know this is sudden, but can you help me save her? I can't fight and I will be screwed If I go there by myself."

"Of course, I will help!" Link declared openly; his eyes holding steady in a determined way. "Tomorrow morning, we leave for Kokiri and we go save your sister."

Taking the young hero by surprise, Swift went and jump right at him, locking Link into a tight hug. "Thank you… thank you!" Cried the brunet on the verge of tears. "We sleep for the rest of the night in my house. It's just this way." As soon as he suggested, he grabbed Link by the arm and began to drag him away from the bar.

"HEY! You didn't pay for the drink." Jina's yelled from the inside, waving both hands to the young pair.

With Link following him, Swift turned to look at the woman and smiled apologetically. "Sorry Jina, put it on my tab. Love you!"

Giggling at the cursing words thrown at them, the now energetic brunet marched forward to the small shack made of dark wood, past the silent houses at the left side of the lone well.

* * *

Far deep inside the green maze that is the Kokiri wilds, rests a hidden bastion of the old country that was Hyrule before Ganondorf's reign of chaos. Makeshift accommodations comprised mostly of silk tents and a few newly constructed buildings made of the giant trees surrounding the area.

Soldiers and civilians alike followed their princess into this haven, a place where they can keep hope alive and strive for one day to strike back at the monster who attacked their beloved home.

Now, under the shade of night, most of the residents of the large camp are sleeping or trying to do so in their thin beds. And everything is engulfed in blissful silence, save from the sound of a few soldiers patrolling the edges of the camp.

Far back there is only the echoing between the wavering trees are the singing of nocturnal birds and the slithering of lizards painting the forest background noise.

At the northmost side of the camp lies the most well-adorned and expanded tent out of all the others. Serving as the private quarters to their Princess and also their headquarters, this place is the one with the greater distance between any other sleeping accommodations, but also is the most heavily guarded one. With at least four soldiers always standing guard over the wooden steps leading to the elevated ground where Zelda now lives.

Over a giant tree at the left side, a regal and prideful hawk watch over her liege's safety. Letting out a few curious chirps, the light brown bird tilted her head to the side, focusing her potent hearing at the faint sounds coming from behind. Flushing her wings wide open, the hawk bounced a few paces to the side, getting to the far corner of the branch away from the tree's trunk.

With a silent thud, a pair of nimble feet landed on the free spot next to the quiet bird.

"Hey, girl…" One hand wrapped in white bandages affectionally scratched at the top of the hawk's head, making it chirp happily in delight. "Anything of notice tonight?" Sheik asked quietly, his ruby gaze shifting down to his friend's tent.

Rustling her feathers, the beautiful hawk shook her head vibrantly, chirping yet again but in a more affirmative way this time.

"Thankfully nothing ever happens here…" Sheik mused to himself but in louder words. "Keep your senses always on alert. The enemy needs only one chance to destroy everything we hold dear."

A vigorous chirp came in response, leaves falling from the branch as the bird bounced up and down.

Smiling affectionately to his feathered friend, the young Sheikah tapped her head gently and giggled. "I know, you're always on alert. But I am here for the rest of the night, you can go and rest." Before the spirited bird could chip back in rebuttal, Sheik stood up from his crouching position to end their conversation. "Good night, Pyra."

He then gracefully leaped from his stop on the tree to the ground in a marvelous flip, landing completely silent right next to Zelda's tent.

Pushing the waves of silky fabric standing as a door in the entrance, Sheik stepped inside onto the padded floor.

"Please take out your shoes." A sweet and sisterly voice sounded from inside, the giggle that followed making Sheik roll his eyes ever so slightly. Even if he could fool and sneak past all the guards and soldiers in this camp, he was never able to get unnoticed by the girl who received some of the same training as him.

Doing as asked, even if faintly annoyed, Sheik stepped to the side on the large wooden square reserved for shoes and boots. And sitting down on the ridiculously soft ground, he began taking out his very tight footwear.

"I've been worried about you." From the corner of his eyes, Sheik saw the Princess step out from her room wearing a very stuffy and long sleep-dress. "Is it done?" She asked in a grave tone.

"General Derehn is dead." Sheik responded in his cold and professional tone, his eyes showing no sign of remorse from the deed.

Wearing a painful expression, Zelda sighed in relief. "Even if my hands are tied to help my people the way they deserve, I couldn't allow that monster to continue his slavery ring." She then stepped close to her friend and kneeled behind him wrapping a comforting arm around his chest. "I'm sorry for forcing you into missions like this."

"You didn't force me into anything, Zel." Shiek turned to give a one-eyed glance at her. "I am a Sheikah, a servant of the royal family. It is my life mission to serve you, it just so happens that my limited skills are necessary to this kind of job."

"You are so much more than just my servant, Sheik." She tightened her hold on him pinching his arm with her free hand. "My closest friend… my brother all but in blood. I love you; you know that, right?"

Deflating his shoulders in defeat, Sheik tossed his shoes to the side and turned to fully embrace his sister. "I know… I've chosen poorly my words. Just don't let people hear you talking about this, it will affect their image of you."

"Like I care one bit." She said back angrily. "Did anyone mistreat you again? I will have this person properly punished for it."

Sheik sighed, but a short smile tugged at his mask. "No one did anything to me, Zel. But that doesn't change their prejudice of what I am. They don't trust the Sheikah and they never will."

Zelda pulled herself away from her friend, giving him a stern frown, as she folded both arms against her chest. She wanted to counter back those words with a tirade of her own, but deep down knowing what Sheik said to be true, she just reserved herself to stare at him dissatisfied.

Then her mind drifted away from this topic to one that has been wandering her mind since the dawn of the previous day. Her eyes suddenly sparkling up in wonder as she leaned forward, both hands pressed together in front of her.

"What happened at the Temple of Time?" She asked energetically. "Did… did my dream became true? Did you find him?"

Seeing the always calm and collected Zelda get so flustered and excited about something made Sheik a bit startled. He looked at her with an odd gaze, then a soft smile broke his lips apart. Ignoring her sparkling eyes for a moment, the young Sheikah began to work on his turban, slowly undoing the biddings holding it over his head.

"Sheik!" Zelda slapped one hand at his shoulder, taking out a good-hearted laugh from him.

"Okay… Okay…" Sheik took the turban out of his head, letting his long golden hair drift freely at his back, then his right hand going to his mask to pull it down below his chin. "I met him…" He said with a pause, his voice now completely free of the muffled sound that his mask gave him. "The Hero of Time."

The glint of happiness turned into sparkling tears at the corners of Zelda's eyes. "He returned to us… Our hero." She took Sheik's hands to hers, bringing him closer. "So many long years have passed… how is he? What did you think? Is he ready?"

Sheik frowned and shook his head. "Clumsy." He said curly. "Naïve, hopelessly clueless to what he is and what needs to be done. His first steps made him stumble to the floor like a helpless toddler."

As her friend and younger brother began his report on their precious hero, Zelda's excited eyes lost their sparkle. "You can't be serious…" She asked in a worried voice. "I mean, surely there are very good qualities to him, right?"

Sheik paused, his gaze shifting to the side as he recalled his memory of the young hero. "He is tall, very tall." The blond young man dragged his breathing in contemplative silence. His eyes sliding down the imaginary figure of the other man as if he was standing in front of him. "Broad shoulders with a firm look to them. His legs are surprisingly toned, I swear I could see muscle lines under those white leggings… What?" He frowned at the giggles he heard coming from Zelda.

"Someone is smitten with the Hero…" Zelda teased him. "I am sure Link has turned into a very charming young man."

"Ah?!" A very flustered Sheik jumped to his feet, his ruby eyes scandalized at the accusation. "I am not smitten with anyone, excuse you." He puffed angrily. "Know what? I think I am done reporting anything to you." Spinning on his feet, the Sheika turned readily away from the smiling princess behind him.

"Oh, Sheik… I am just teasing you." She giggled again, now standing up to position herself right beside the Sheikah, in front of the spare room inside her very spacious tent. "So, where is our hero now? I take he was able to escape Hyrule Castle City without many problems."

Noticing the more professional tone in her voice, Sheik turned to face Zelda again. "I sent him to Kakariko. If he has any sense of danger to him, he should spend the night there and come here to Kokiri towards the Lost Woods tomorrow morning."

"You will meet him there?" She asked.

"That's the plan…" Sheik replied, suspicious of the little wiggles at Zelda's eyebrows. "If everything goes well, I will be standing there waiting for him in front of the Temple. With enough luck, the place will not be overrun with the scum Ganondorf call allies."

A pensive hum echoed from the princess, her cheeks turning slightly red as her lips quivered.

"What?" Sheik asked, noticing her strange behavior.

First came a chuckle and then a giggle. "I'm sure our Hero will be delighted to have your company there."

The poor Sheikah that had his cheeks almost getting back their pale color, went full red in the face again, this time, wasting no breath to march his way inside the spare room, letting the curtains close behind him in a very conclusive manner.

"Good night, Princess." He grumbled from inside.

Zelda could not hold her laugher anymore. She bursted into the room to tease her little brother a bit more before she could let the topic rest. After so long without being able to take her mind out of the war and serious decisions, the young woman will have her full share of having fun… even if it is at her brother's expense.

* * *


	4. Sparks of Something Forgotten

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 4 - Sparks of Something Forgotten_ **

* * *

Link stirred in his sleep, a soft groan escaping him as his mind wandered within the foggy landscape of a dream.

'Where am I…?' A voice burdened with deep pain and sorrow echoed in the colorless stream. 'Why did you leave me here… Why was I the only one?'

Cold shivers ran up Link's spine, forcing him to 'wake up' inside his dream to face the emptiness in front of him.

'Please… where am I?' The voice echoed freely again, carrying the same range of heavy emotions yet again.

It feels familiar. The voice, the pain, the feeling of desperation.

'There is nothing but darkness…' Link choked in surprise. This voice, it finally made sense… It is his voice, pleading again and again in endless torment. 'Your light…'

A giant pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the void canvas of this world, staring in anger and fury directly at Link's motionless form.

'IT HURTS!'

Crying loudly in panic, Link woke up in a startling leap. Rolling on the hard mattress he tried to sit up, both arms shaking at his sides. The hero brought one hand to his face trying to calm his racing heart.

"Bad dream?" Swift asked in a quiet, calming tone.

Raising his head to look at the brunet sitting on a chair by the open window at the other end of the room, Link sighed deeply. "I… I don't know. It felt like a nightmare, but also so real, so terrifyingly real."

The other man gave an understanding look at the blond, a sympathetic smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Giving a few slaps at his cheeks, Link tried to shake the trembling sensation on his chest. "You sleep any?" He asked the brunet, noticing the other bed in the room still tightly neat as if no one got even close to lying on it.

"I tried, but couldn't" Swift brought his gaze out of the window, towards the pinkish sky of a very early morning. "It feels so unreal. I've been losing sleep every night thinking about a way to get her back… Now I can't sleep thinking that I'll finally get a chance." He turned to Link, showing a shy smile filled with gratitude. "Thanks to you."

"Not only a chance, Swift." Link gave back a smile of his own. "We'll get your sister back. I promise you."

Yawning the dizziness of sleep away, the blond boy jumped out from his bed. He stretched his arms and back, working his rested muscles, oblivious to the burning gaze he is receiving from the pair of brown eyes behind him.

Diligently taking the old sheet in his hands, Link carefully folded it in form, then passing to work on the bed he slept, until he made it exactly as it were before he laid down on it.

A few gentle taps sounded from the small table next to the wall, getting Link's attention. "I've got some tea for us." Swift pointed to a dark blue porcelain teapot sitting next to two empty cups. "Couldn't find any Greenleaf tea, but I hope you enjoy it."

Taking a seat next to Swift, Link watched as the other man poured the hot tea for both of them in the cups. The brunet them pulled a basket full of loaves of bread from within a cabinet with a broken door.

It felt a bit nostalgic to look at those pieces of bread resting in front of him. Even though for Link the day he was eating bread in front of Zora's Domain feels like so little time ago, he recognizes how much has changed from then.

Taking a bite from one of the pieces, a stiff grin crossed his lips. At least the awful tasteless bread still feels the same.

"Sorry, I know this bread doesn't taste very good…" Swift said with an ashamed look in his eyes, turning his head downcast in the process.

"Oh, it's not that." Link quickly replied, feeling a tingle of guilty for making his new friend feel bad about his reaction to the stale bakery. "Last meal I got to experience was a piece of bread just like this one. At the time I was so hungry that I didn't care what piece of food I had to chew on, just happy that I had anything to eat at all."

"And now?" Swift asked. "Still glad to be eating this awful and stiffy thing?"

Link's lips quirked in an honest but short smile. "But I am glad." He replied to his companion's surprise. "Glad to be able to hold one of these in my hands again." He waved the piece of the light-brown bakery in front of him, little crumbs falling to his lap. "At least there is enough left of Kakariko to have these pieces of bread made."

"Glass half full, huh?" The brown-haired young man leaned with his back against his chair, his eyes drifting upwards to the barely holding together ceiling. "What a naïve way of thinking…." Catching the odd look he received from Link with the corner of his eyes, Swift waved one hand and smiled awkwardly. "The sun will rise in an hour or so. Maybe we should get going."

That got an affirmative nod from the blond boy, making him gulp down his tea despite it being very hot still. "You're right. The sooner we leave, the earlier we can get to Kokiri Forest."

"It would be hoping too much that you came to Kakariko on a horse?" Swift asked with a hopeful glance to which he received a very quick shaking of the head. He then sighed. "Didn't hurt to ask..."

* * *

Getting past the iron gates of Kakariko unnoticed by the other guard on shift, a man with greenish hair sleeping peacefully in his chair, Link and Swift set their pacing on Hyrule Fields in a brisk march.

Staying clear of the abandoned roads by Swift's suggestion, they crossed Zora's River only past the entrance to the outskirt area of Zora's Domain. Link who at first protested at the waste of precious time, felt silly when they spotted a large army of soldiers galloping the open roads in a vengeful patrol.

Dark horses carrying men in full black armor and red spears in hand.

Swift then explained that those people are some sort of bounty hunters for the Evil King. Looking for any runaway survival of the old kingdom in hopes of finding the presumably still alive rebel army that so far has eluded the tyrant's grasp for years.

However, as mostly uneventful as their march across the melancholic open field were, it began to take a toll on the young brunet. Where Link continued to pace forward in firm steps, his companion had started to gasp for air and sweat way more than he should.

Stopping for a break at the crossroads next to the massive green wall that leads to Kokiri, Link suggested carrying Swift in his back. To which the other boy first declined very fervently, insisting that he was fit enough to continue. But soon enough, he found himself resting at the strong back of the blond hero.

And Even though Link is carrying the weight of two people in his stride, his legs never once flinched or paused. Once again marveling the other Hylian, now with his ridiculously strong resilience.

"I-I… never get used to this…" Swift said uncomfortably, shifting ever so slightly at Link's back.

The blond warrior gazed at the hollow tree that serves as a tunnel to the forest, the sight making him sigh a bit sadly. He still misses his home, his few friends, the simpler days where people could laugh and joke around without fear of starving to death.

"Have you been to Kokiri before?" Link asked the person on his back, tilting his head slightly to glance at the brunet.

"Somehow, I have a feeling you're not talking about this gloomy forest, are you?" Swift replied with a tint of jest. "Crossed the open woods a few times, even got one of my shoes eaten by those creepy blue giant flower monsters."

A soft chuckle escaped Link, his lips twitching in a little grin. "Deku Baba." He said to the brunet's confusion and then continued. "I've fought a lot of times against those monsters. Blue flowers with no eyes and a giant mouth. In Kokiri, we call them Deku Baba."

Swift raised a brow. "You're a Kokiri?!" The Hylian shifted in his spot again, trying to get a look on Link's face. "That explains a lot… I knew you were not a normal guy." As Link glanced at him with a furrowed brow, he just laughed. "Anyway, they are not a fun sort those Deku Baba of yours. I hope we don't cross paths with them in here."

Link didn't have the heart to tell his friend that these woods are quite definitely swarming with Deku Babas.

Walking carefully as he entered deeper into the dark tunnel, Link tried to think of his home just up ahead. A few more minutes walking and he would cross the bridge to his old little village. Would the other Kokiri recognize him?

Link never saw a full-grown-up Kokiri before, and he still asks himself why?

His line of thought came to a halt, together with his feet, when he got at the end of the tunnel just to witness the old bridge to Kokiri Village completely in ruin; no worse than that, there is no sign that one day a bride stood there.

"Something wrong?" Swift asked worried about the sudden pause, his head popping up above Link's one. "You aren't planning on jumping all the way there are you?" The young Hylian pointed to the ruined tunnel at the other side.

"The bridge…." Link said slowly in confusion. "It's gone."

"No, it's not!" The brunet said back, his right-hand leaving Link's shoulder to point to their left. "There it is. It's has been there every time I came here."

Taking a glance to where his friend pointed, Link noticed misshaped rolls of wooden stairs descending from this tunnel where he came from, all the way to the ground below deep in the woods.

Another change to the world he once knew. This one irking the young hero the most. Not even his isolated homeland is unscathed by the chaos Ganondorf brought to the world.

Holding his lips pressed in a thin line, Link adjusted the weight on his back to take the challenge of traveling down those dangerous rolls of stairs spiraling down.

"I-I hope this thing still holds firm." Swift gulped down, a sparkle of trepidation showing in his eyes. Only to yelp when the wood creaked as Link stepped over it.

Even in his state of slight emotional distress, Link could not help but laugh. He found how interesting it is to see Swift squirming around every time he gets startled or flustered. Seeing those cute reactions is something that Link could get used to.

* * *

"Sheik…" A terrible but very sweet voice threatened to pull the Sheikah out of his blissful slumber. "Sheik, aren't you late…?" Now giggles followed in the echoes, making it very difficult to stay cozy and hidden away in the land of dreams.

Then something even worse happened, a chill streak rolled down Sheik's back, forcing his eyes open as he cried out in panic.

Adjusting his groggy vision to the blurred room around him, the red-eyed blond reached with one hand to the wet cloth still sliding down his back. After taking the blasted thing away from his warm skin, Sheik glared at the young woman giggling at the side of his bed.

"A wet rag… really?" He asked incredulous at the childish wake-up call he received.

"You can't blame me for doing it," Zelda said with a fake pout. "This is the first time I got to wake up before you." Then her playful tone disappeared, washed away by a look of concern. "You never wake up after the sunrise. Well, that's not true. Only when you are completely exhausted or injured." She left the words to linger on their own, a questioning look being directed at the blond boy.

One very long and ragged sigh escaped the Sheikah. "Nothing that should worry you." He said as he tried to sit up, just to wince at the throbbing sensation at his side.

Now Zelda just glared at him. "Let me see it." She demanded in her royal voice, leaving no room for debate.

Rolling his ruby eyes in defeat, Sheik did as she asked and pulled the soft blanket away from him, revealing the white bandage wrapped around his upper body, red spots of blood tinting the right side of his abdomen.

The Princess took a sharp breath in, her eyes narrowing at the wound in her little brother's side. "How did this happen?"

Giving away an unimportant shrug, Sheik got on his feet and began to fetch his clothes. "Mister Slaver had a few of his men hiding in his office. I took all four of them down together with their dirty general. I guess one of them got a lucky stab in."

"Sheik…"

"Zel, it's fine. It is a shallow wound and I took care of it." Tossing his clothes around in a hurry, Sheik gave a short glance to the few rays of sunlight coming from the gaps in the wall. "Crap, I overslept too much! What time is it?"

"The sun has risen a few hours ago," Zelda replied with a sigh of her own. Trust Sheik to downplay a stab in the stomach. "Let me call the doctors to treat that for you."

"No reason to." Sheik protested even somewhat curly but not entirely angry. "As I said, a lucky stab. Too shallow to be of any danger, but deep enough to draw blood. Nothing more. Nothing less." With fast and nimble movements of his hands, Sheik began to arrange his turban as he walked over to the bathroom to wash himself and get ready to leave.

Taking a seat at the edge of his bed, Zelda waited until her brother stepped into the bedroom again, now properly dressed in his attire of a Sheikah. "Give our hero my regards."

Sheik nodded and turned to leave.

"Try to smile more often too. You have a beautiful smile; he will love it." She teased with a giggle.

Making her younger brother groan and leave the room without saying another word.

"One day you will come to me confessing your feelings for the hero, silly Sheik." Zelda said to the empty room, humoring herself with the words. "And that day I will give you a big sisterly hug."

* * *

"Are you sure this is the way?" Link stopped next to the closed gates in front of the green maze inside the Lost Woods. Crouching carefully to let Swift on the ground again, the hero stretched his arms far up, trying to soothe his throbbing muscles.

"Yes! I remember this place very well." Swift said, taking a few paces forward, resting his right hand against the dried moss on the wall. "I followed them here. I was… terrified. All these ominous sounds, growling between the trees. My feet turned on their own, fleeing as fast as they could from this place." He shuddered as his voice trembled. "I… abandoned my sister here… in this horrible place."

"But you came back for her." Link said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sure she will understand your reasons… What good would do if you died in vain?"

"Link…"

"Come." The brave hero brushed past the other young man, standing with a sharp gaze in front of the groaning maze. Taking the Master Sword out of its sheath, Link slashed the flimsy chains in two, opening the gates with a forceful kick. "Stay behind me at a safe distance… I have a few memories of this place. Hope it didn't get worse with time too."

Holding his head low, Swift followed behind Link. The young brunet was clearly shaken by something, his shoulders trembling in the most worrisome way.

Link had to shake his head and force his focus forward. He doesn't have to luxury to distract himself with the woes of his friend, there will be time for that when they get out of this place.

'This place…' Link frowned as he jumped in the water-filled gap, crossing the paths to another hall of the open-ceiling maze. 'Why would a group of bandits choose this place. Don't they know how dangerous this part of the Lost Woods can be?'

A deep frown afflicted the young's hero face. The verdant maze of the Lost Woods is dangerous even to the local Kokiri, who are used to dealing with the treachery of the fog that floats under the tree branches.

Most troubling of it all is the path they are taking right now. While the mystic forest serves as a pathway to many places, this exact hidden path leads only to one destination.

'Sacred Forest Meadow…' Link thought in silence.

So deep within the Lost Woods, there is nothing but the decrepit and now cursed Temple that Link was tasked to clear of its curse. Imagining normal people hiding in a place like that felt weird; well as normal as a bandit can be at least.

"W-What's that?!" Swift cried out from behind, taking Link out of his musing trance.

Following the distressing call, the hero turned his attention to his companion and then to where the brunet is pointing at.

Dark and dried blood stains the floor like raging marks on the floor, proof of a heated battle. Following the large red lines over the corner of this pathway, they ended up face-first into a very disturbing scene.

Corpses, at least a dozen of them, all bleached and drenched with the purple of their blood.

"Moblins…" Link said in a cautious whisper. He noticed the countless stabbing wounds on the giant creatures' bodies, some looking crueler than necessary in places that would not kill them but give a terrible amount of pain.

His eyes following the scars of battle up towards the main hall leading towards the Temple.

The closer they got to that turn, the more and more bodies were found. At least two Wolfos lying in with the other slain beasts.

"Can you hear it?" Swift sounded very scared, so much so that he disregarded Link's advice and it is almost clinging against the blonde's back.

Painful cries echoed from the hall just ahead, howls of misery and desperation. It sounds like a Wolfos but Link never heard one sound quite like that.

Holding tight at the handle of his weapon, Link pushed forward with hastened steps. Swift quickly followed behind him, glancing from one side to the other in clear panic. And in one of these side glances, he failed to notice that Link had stopped walking, making the brunet crash with his face against Link's broad back.

Rubbing the tingle in his nose, Swift stepped to the side, trying to see what made his companion stop. Then, he gasped.

"So cruel…" Link said with a painful expression, his eyes set on the form of the crying Wolfos.

The beast is crying in anger, fear, and pain. Large gushes spitting blood from its legs, making the furred monster unable to move past other than dragging itself on the ground. However, the pain it is suffering at the moment hinders the Wolfos unable of doing even that, leaving the beast to howl and cry, scratching sharp claws against the wall.

Swift reached to Link's tunic and gasped when the blond moved forward towards the wounded monster.

"W-We should run past to the left… it doesn't seem like it could lunge at us." He suggested all the while trying to pull Link in that direction.

Gently brushing his companion's hand away, Link shook his head and walked right over to the Wolfos, stopping just in front of it. "I will not leave it here like this. It's suffering so much."

"But, Link… that's a monster."

A sudden scowl took over the blonde's face, but he kept his face well-hidden enough for his friend to not notice.

"Leaving it here to suffer would make us just that too." He raised the Master Sword and pointed at the Wolfos, those big green eyes staring right at the legendary sword. "Or maybe worse." Closing his eyes, Link drove the blade through's the creature's heart, ending its suffering with one quick blow.

One sharp breath escaped Link's trembling lips, his cerulean eyes opening up with a small flicker of red in them, something so alien and different that scares him. Something that he feels like he misses so much but has no idea why.

Taking a glance over the Temple far in the back, he shook his head, the tip of his green hat swinging in the air.

"Why would bandits take your sister into the Forest Temple?" Link asked almost without any intention, he thought about it, and then it just slipped past his lips.

"I-I-I don't know…" Swift replied in stutters. "Why would people kidnap an innocent girl. They are lunatics, you can't reason with people like that."

Link nodded quietly. He also can't grasp the reason why someone would attack and imprison an innocent person, so Swift's logic makes sense.

"Let's go, we have to hurry." Link said firmly. "If these people are responsible for the wounds on that Wolfos… We have to get her back."

Swift shuddered, his now teary eyes traveling to the dark entrance of the Temple hanging far above the ground. "P-Please Allaya… be safe."

* * *

Using a kunai tied to a thin rope, Sheik hops from one tree to the other. Cutting through the dense forest with expertise and speed that no one could match on foot.

As he threw his kunai forward into the trunk of a tree right ahead, he pulled himself onto the crooked branch hanging at the top of an old oak. With the tip of his foot landing on the aimed spot, the Sheikah prepared himself to jump onto the next target, that was until he noticed the second hole sitting right next to where his Kunai had landed.

Pushing his fingers against the brown mass to study the hole, Sheik noticed that it is very identical to the one he just made in his maneuver. This unnerving him very much.

Glancing down unto the meadow below, he tried to get any bearings to his location, only to curse under his breath.

'This blasted fog makes so hard to know where I'm going.' He tried to pierce through the heavy veil of white/greenish air hovering below but with no luck of doing so. But it didn't impede him to notice the familiar pattern of trees stretching in front and behind him. 'Lovely… I've been moving in circles.'

Sinking his kunai deeply within the three, Sheik wrapped that end of the rope tight against the sturdy branch. Closing his eyes in focus, he breathed his hesitation away as the bubbly form of curious spirits floated around him.

One step forward and the Sheikah dove down in a leap of faith, his petite form sinking within the blinding fog.

A moment later and the splashing of water echoed around the woods, increasing in strength and intensity the further away it traveled.

Popping his head out of the chilly pond, Sheik noticed the numerous shining balls spinning in a circle around the small water body. After his reckless jump down, the young Sheikah earned the amusement of the fun-loving spirits, all of them dancing around him as he pulled himself up to the grassy ground.

Sheik waved his hand around him trying to swat the annoying little things away from him, just to push more of them to surround him.

"Get away from me your pesky little Poes." He snarled at the bouncing orbs. "I don't have time to play with you. I need to get to the Sacred Temple; the hero will need my aid."

The turmoil of dancing spirits froze in a sudden halt, making an odd scene where they are all floating at the same position they were when they stopped. Then they all swirled wildly up head, making a shining path within the heavy fog surrounding the mysterious forest.

Sheik quirked an eyebrow, his red eyes studying the clear path opening in front of him as the spirits danced the fog away.

"Now, this is a lot more helpful." He chuckled quietly, pulling his kunai back to him.

Proceeding with his natural skepticism, the Sheikah followed after the guiding orbs, watching for any traps or tricks that could be waiting for him ahead.

'Forgive me, Hero. My tardiness is inexcusable. but soon I shall be there to aid you further in your quest.'

Little does Sheik knows how much truth his words resonating with. Far more than he could ever imagine.

* * *

Out of everything that came to Link's mind when first entering the Sacred Temple in the Lost Woods, what he last expected was to see a disrespectful amount of littering.

From broken bottles smelling worst than Gohma's spit, to remains of rotten food; all scattered around the hallowed halls of the Temple.

'They are definitely here.' Link thought. 'Not even monsters would be this messy.'

"Hey, Link." Swift skipped down the broken stairs leading to the expansive room. "Can you hear it?" He approached the large golden platform right in the middle of the room.

As the young Hylian pointed to, quite a few noises are coming from below the ground. Muffled voices, probably stuffed beneath the masonry of the ground.

"A lower level?" Swift suggested rather quickly. "Maybe we can find some way to-" Flailing his arms way too excitedly, the brunet slapped one hand against the silvery plate holding a torch. Both the support and pole crashing harshly on the floor. This screeching noise echoing all around the Temple.

Both young men stared at each other with wide eyes as the voices below ceased, leaving way to a deafening silence.

Until…

"HELP ME!" A very distressed voice screamed at full force from beneath, making the hair at the back of Link's neck stand up. "PLEASE THEY ARE-" Then the voice was silenced by a harsh slapping sound and an angry growl.

"It's her!" Swift exclaimed in exasperation. "Link, we have to get down there. We need to!"

Link felt the panic surging inside his friend, pushing him to frantically pull and tug at the strange platform. "If I can get this to move." He said noticing the small gaps at the sides, revealing a hole below it. "Maybe I could try to blow it up?"

He looked at his friend, who stared at him with an even more worried look.

"N-No… maybe… this?!" Quickly enough, Swift found a small switch sitting behind an ominous-looking statue of an ancient warrior staring down at the platform.

The groaning of chains sounded from beneath the ground, making the golden pedestal shake and tremble, then it began to descend at a very slow but steady pace.

"Look, you did it!" Link cheered, taking the chance to get inside the elevator as Swift jumped inside too.

The ride down into the lower level felt like an eternity. Link could only hear his breathing as a feeling of anticipation began to crawl and tug at his chest. Behind him Swift held his head low, an indecipherable look taking over his expression.

As the floor of the elevator reached the ground, Link reached for the Master Sword and sprinted forward at full speed. His eyes locked to the giant half-open door leading to the main chamber.

"P-Please…" That female voice pleaded again.

"Enough!" A scruffy and mean voice roared right after, making the room fall into a deep silence once more.

Frowning deeply, Link jumped forward and landing a powerful kick at the door, exposing the entire room to his eyes.

There he instantly saw four figures standing around a pile of things in the middle of an elevated floor.

First one skinny looking man with wrinkles on his face. One sharp dagger flipping from one hand to the other as his squinted eyes stared at Link.

The second, a more round looking man sitting on the floor with a juicy apple stuck on his mouth.

At the left side of the platform, sitting on top of a closed chest is a woman with a very dark tan and short red hair. She has a fiery gaze and a cruel smirk on her lips.

Right in the center of the room, holding a mighty axe in his hand, is a monstrous tall man, one with many scars on his arms and his exposed chest. His gaze is the evilest of them all, holding nothing but caged bloodlust in it.

They all stared at Link hungrily, as if their next meal had just presented itself for the feast. But that did little to put fear in the hero's chest, quite the opposite. Sensing their evil intentions made Link step forward with even more determination as he raised his sword at them.

"Where is Allaya?" He demanded loud and clear, making sure to look at each of them at least once. "I will never forgive people who harm an innocent. But let her go and I might go easy on you."

A fat silence befell the room, the four bandits trading glances between one another. And then they all erupted in laughter.

"Hah! Hahah… Oh man, we have a precious one here don't we?" The skinny man jested, his right hand waving the dagger in front of his face.

"I tell you, each time we do this they get stupider." Bits of juice and apple fell to the floor as the second bandit began to laugh even harder.

The one in the middle, the first one to stop laughing, looked down at Link with a cruel sneer. "Allaya, the man is asking for you. Where are your manners?"

Skipping her way to the side of their leader, the tanned woman waved her hand and blew a kiss to Link. "Not every day I get a pretty face like that coming to save me." Her head bobbed forward as she tried to stifle another fit of laughter.

Completely lost, the hero stared at the group dumbfounded. So many questions raced on his mind that it was impossible to keep up with all of them. But one person in question came to his mind.

However, before he could turn and ask Swift what was going on here, a throbbing pain pierces at his side, making the blond man clench his teeth to hold in a scream.

"HEY SWIFT!" The leader roared again. "Don't damage the goods, how the hell are we supposed to sell him later?"

With a bloody knife in his left hand, the young brunet Link met on Kakariko stepped forward with heart chilling smirk on his lips. "Sorry, boss. But I saw this guy using his sword. Just making sure he will not give us much trouble."

"S-Swift?!" A shocked Link glanced at the man stepping up to the upper floor. He pressed one hand at the painful spot at his side, his fingers getting wet with his own blood. "Why? I thought you wanted to save your sister…"

"Really Link?" Swift asked in a mocking tone. "Are you so dumb that you can't still wrap your head around it?"

"Wait, SISTER!?" The red-haired woman shrieked like a banshee. "Never repeat something as disgusting as that. Who would want to be a sister to this snake here?"

"Oh, you break my heart, Allaya." Swift replied playfully. His cold eyes then turned to Link again, showing not a shred of the warmth they were full of just yesterday. "Don't look at me like that. It's your fault for being so stupidly trusting and naïve."

"You lied… last night you… I TRUSTED YOU!" Link spat out angrily.

"And now you're screwed." The skinny man mocked. "That's why I still don't trust Swift. Never met a more cold-hearted bastard in my entire life." He turned to the glaring brunet. "No offense, of course."

"Let me paint the picture for you, boy." Marching forward, the leader of the gang stood at the edge of the platform and pointed his axe at Link. "Drop your sword and get on your knees like a good kid. Then we can treat your wound and sell you to one of those creeps Ganondorf calls lieutenant."

"Hey, with enough luck you can get to serve one that doesn't beat his slaves." Said the rotund rogue. "A pretty face like that, you will be very famous there. Guaranteed."

Their boss grunted or chuckled, impossible to say the difference with him. "Now. Drop. The sword!" He pushed his axe forward, practically rubbing it against Link's face.

Clenching his hold on the Master Sword, Link lowered his head and simply lost himself in the beating sounds coming from his heart.

Raising his arm in a full swing, he parried the axe away and stepped aside to gain enough ground to move. In his mind, he was screaming at himself to turn and leave. That if he stayed, he would have to fight, he would have to raise his weapon against 'normal' people.

But that voice felt like a faint little whisper compared to the thunderous thuds of his raging heart. Pressing his left hand firmly against his wound, Link jumped above the ancient chains serving as railings on the raised floor.

His cerulean eyes locked firmly at the surprise muscled man in front of him.

"Wha—Get him!" Jumping alarmed to his feet, the skinny man scrambled with the dagger in his hand, not expecting in the least their victim's reaction.

Letting go of his throbbing abdomen, Link changed his posture to wield the Master Sword with both hands. Seeing the fury in which the man in front of him was ready to swing the ridiculously big axe, he slid his left foot back, letting the right one carry him in a reckless but flawless evasion under the cutting metal passing inches away from his face.

Standing now directly below the man's weak spot, Link saw only red in front of him. Both of his arms swung upwards in such a force that not even the contact against heavily muscled flesh stopped in any shape the complete arc of his strike.

A screech of pure pain echoed in the chamber, gushes of blood splashing everywhere, staining the ground, the sword, and even half of Link's face.

Only when the hot liquid began to slide down his cheek, that Link noticed in full detail what he has done. In his anger, in his pain and panic of betrayal, he cleaved their leader's right arm out of his body, leaving nothing but a little stub in its place.

The man cried, cursed, and trashed. His eyes are already rolling upwards into its sockets, the pain too much for him to bear as he passed away hearing only his own screams of agony.

Breathing heavily, Link stood there in a fretting panic of his own. "I… I didn't mean…" He saw the look of real terror in each face staring at him. Even Swift, the cool and sweet person he thought he had met the previous night, is looking at him as if he is a hideous monster.

"H-Hey! What in the deep hells is that?!" The chubby bandit raised his trembling hand, pointing directly at Link or maybe behind him.

Link felt an urgent need to look behind him, but he couldn't. Not when there are four left of them, not when he just maimed a person.

"Screw this!" The Skinny man cried in panic. "I ain't dying for you lot!" Dropping his dagger in his frantic movement, the man tried to make for the staircase leading to the flat ground below. Only to have a dark shining spear piercing his chest right through his chest.

"Kesh!" The woman screamed, her hands flying to her mouth.

Right then, Link saw from the corner of his eyes, a blurred silhouette moving inside one of the various paintings hanging on the wall. With a hush of air and a hiss of magic, the blood-stained spear went flying forward in rage as it nailed Allaya against the wall.

They all glanced in shock at the towering figure standing on top of a floating horse. Yellowish eyes glaring with deep-running evil towards all of them.

A face that Link would never forget.

"Ganondorf…" The name slipped past his clenched teeth.

Grasping for survival, the large bandit reached for his bow within the hubris he had hoarding behind him. But before he could pull the string back, a shining ball of lighting cut right past his torse, leaving the open-mouthed man to fall flat with his face against the bloody floor.

Letting out that dark and unsettling laughter. Ganondorf turned his gaze to the petrified brunet, a cruel smirk painting his greyish lips. Pulling his spear back from Allaya's body, he tossed the dead woman at the floor below and aimed a killing blow towards his next victim.

Swift could only stare hopelessly as the darkened metal came swinging down towards him. But before the weapon could slide his head off his shoulders, it clashed in a light exploding impact against the Master Sword.

"G-Go…" Link grunted heavily, using all his strength to keep the spear from going down.

Looking at his hero with startled eyes, Swift tried to understand why and how Link had prevented his death but unable to grasp the answer to neither of those questions.

"I… can't… hold on for long…" The blond pushed his arms forward, gaining a little ground in the exchange of strength. "MOVE, NOW!" He yelled angrily, his powerful voice pushing Swift away from his staggering shock.

Being able just to nod weakly, the young brunet turned around without a glance back and ran as fast as he could towards the elevator. Soon, the noises coming from the hallway alerting Link that the other man had managed to get out.

'You haven't changed one bit, kid.' An ethereal voice echoed from within the chamber, a voice Link still remembers very well. 'Always trying to protect everyone…' Ganondorf's voice boomed in a burst of laughter. 'And just like last time, you will fail.'

"I will stop you!" Link groaned, his arm gaining enough strength to push the spear completely away. "Right here and now Ganondorf! I will destroy you and banish your evil from the world."

'Oh, how amusing.' With a hint of playfulness, the tyrant teased the hero with one of his dark chuckles. 'However, you will accomplish nothing here, boy. Even if you manage to not perish in this chamber, you will have faced only but a phantom of myself.'

Glaring at the retreating form of the horseman, riding back into one of the paintings. Link winced at the pain flaring up from his wound.

'Amuse me a little more, oh chosen one.' Ganondorf mocked. 'Exceed on the trials those pitiful goddesses have laid down to you. Then come face me properly, we shall both prove to then how wrong they are.'

Swirling air began to come to life inside the room once more, the phantom horseman starting his ritual to escape one of the painting yet again.

'Show me how powerful you truly are, Hero of Time.' In thunderous laughter, Ganondorf's voice echoed endlessly around the chamber, spinning from wall to wall until it disappeared to nothingness.

Shifting in his stance to face one painting at a time, Link groaned harshly. His blue eyes finally finding the riding monstrosity coming towards him.

"Grh…. Ganondorf!"

* * *


	5. In Small Ways

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 5 - In Small Ways_ **

* * *

Watching the gloom meadow in contemplative silence, Sheik is resting in front of the ominous Forest Temple. Taking a spot where he could see every corner of the ground below but also staying hidden away from any peering glance, he is sitting with his legs crossed on top of the crooked and flattened branch of the dried tree.

Carefully working at the strings of his precious harp, he lets a few subtle sounds of melody in the tranquility of the secret grove.

'The shadows are getting shorter…' His ruby eyes glanced at the silhouette of the tree in the ground, the once large shadow that almost covered all the grass below is now shrinking to half its previous size. 'They say heroes are guided by their own pace… Maybe ours likes to run late even more than others.'

A quiet giggle escaped him, musing about the irony that the Hero of Time always seems to be late in his ventures.

Carried by the soft breeze in the air, a few sounds of frantic footsteps came from the darkness inside the Temple's entrance.

Taken in a bit of a surprise, he watched with a puzzled expression as a brown-haired man of medium stature came running out from within the Temple. Eyes as big as they can get, face pale with what seems to be shock or a deep sense of terror.

"Hah…. Hahh…." Gasping heavily with sweat dropping from his fringes, the man took a few glances in between his hastened paces, this stranger came to the edge of the entrance, where the stairs have been broken for a long, long time.

Crouching next to a broken pillar at the left side, he pulled a battered rope tied to said support and then threw it down to make his mean of getting to the ground below.

Not bothered by the skin burning heat of sliding down so quickly, or maybe too afraid to think about it, the brunet resumed his desperate run as if Ganondorf himself was after him. Only when he was far out of view, already deep inside the green maze, that Sheik appeared from above the tree, his gaze changing from where the stranger bolted to the 'peaceful' entrance of the broken Temple.

Taking a graceful leap to the firm ground below, the Sheikah landed next to the still wobbling rope.

"Why would a normal civilian be inside a cursed place like this?" He mused in a lower voice, his ruby eyes following the brown line upwards to the broken stairs. "Maybe that wasn't a civilian at all. That still leaves the question of why anyone but monsters would inhabit such a horrid fortress."

A prickling sense of curiosity almost took over his judgment. That stranger's presence here brings along various implications to the Temple's Trials.

What if Ganondorf is trying to tamper with them in any way?

Or maybe the dark tyrant has decided to camp a legion of his mercenaries in each one of the ancient grounds to try and prevent the hero from ever completing his quest?

Took all the self-control and hard-learned lessons from his master Impa, to make Sheik disregard the racing thoughts in his mind.

'I cannot interfere…' He said to convince himself. 'My duty is to guide the Hero in his Journey… to enter the Temples is to tamper with the trials in itself. I would be doing no different from what that monster would do.'

Putting away his harp, Sheik steeled his nerves to try and keep himself from even glancing back towards the Temple. He knows that if any more thoughts are given about that, he will toss aside all that he represents just to ensure the survival of their only hope.

So, with an aching heart, the blond ninja stood firm and silent on top of the ancient pedestal in front of the Temple.

Clenching his fists tight, he kept his crimson eyes focused on the small pathway leading to the inner sanctum of the meadow. In the dutiful form that is expected of a Sheikah warrior, Sheik kept himself waiting and hoping that soon the Hero would show up from below that hazy fog and then he would naively boast about how easy his trial will be.

Sheik kept waiting despite how seconds turned into minutes, and minutes soon turned into a full long hour.

A deep frown took over his hidden facial features. 'Late… he is so late…' He snarled internally, berating the blue-eyed buffoon for thinking that the world would wait for him forever.

Sheik tried to cling to his frustration and even anger towards the hero, believing profoundly that he is late or worse, that he will not come here today. He forces himself to think like this, because to think otherwise would be to acknowledge the prickling feeling in his chest, saying that the hero is already inside.

The now burning sensation in his chest, telling him that the look of terror on that stranger's face is somehow connected to the Hero's wellbeing. That all this is a warning for a terrible omen of things to come, a warning for Sheik to dive inside and check for himself.

Biting his lower lip with enough strength to pale the skin, Sheik cursed himself for not making the choice earlier. 'Sorry, aunt Impa…' He turned away from the empty passageway, his gaze and attention instantly snapping to the gap up above. 'I cannot wait out here any longer. Taboo or not, I can't risk losing that flicker of hope now.'

As his knees prepared to take the weight of the impulse of a high leap, his eyes caught the glint of movements. Sliding his right foot to the side in a way to get his balance back, Sheik waited with frozen breath to see the owner of the blurred silhouette pushing away the darkness.

Then he saw the brazen color of golden blond locks, cascading below a green silly hat.

"Hero…" An innocent but unintended smile crept onto the Sheikah's lips.

What little spring of happiness he had felt at recognizing the blond young man, disappeared when the hero just tumbled forward headfirst against the gap at the edge of the stairs.

"HERO!" Sheik leaped awkwardly onto Link's falling form, his arms reaching for the body before it could reach the ground.

Despite the difference in their size and a bit more difference in their weight, Sheik managed to embrace Link close to him and cushion the fall, taking the brunt of it with his left shoulder.

Feeling the warm and wet sensation in his hands, Sheik pulled back to look at the man next to him. His eyes widening at the sight of so much blood staining everything, from the Hero's clothes to his handsome face.

"Oi, Hero!" He cried out, gently pushing against the other young man's chest. "All this blood… Where are you hurt? What happened?" Sheik's panic began to grow as Link's only response to his stimulation was a soft incoherent whisper.

A blinding glint caught Sheik's attention from the corner of his eyes. Trailing down to the shining spot, he saw a golden triangle sparkling on the Hero's right gloved hand. If Sheik had any doubt about this young man's worth to Hyrule, the sight of a Triforce shining so brightly shattered it all away.

"Hero… stay with me…" Sheik swiftly began to pull out at the green tunic, searching for any wounds on the Hero's body. "Please, we can't lose you here… please, Link."

* * *

'You are a failure…' Words of pure malice echoed inside Link's mind. 'It is your destiny to die by my hands… You will fail… You will die…'

Again, and again Ganondorf's continue berating bombarded the hero's mind in a spiraling nightmare, making him groan and stir in his slumber.

Then a tiny bright spot in this maelstrom of darkness called out to him. 'This way… Hero…' In motionless steps, Link followed after this new and familiar voice, reaching with ghostly hands toward this spot of tranquility.

At the first touch of his finger on that light, Link found himself surrounded by the real world again. His eyes scanning and quickly recognizing this place as that plain bar in Kakariko.

"Link…" A calming, beautiful voice, called out from behind making Link turn in a hurry.

He saw the smiling face of the young man he met just a day ago, those comforting brown eyes giving him so much relief. But then all turned into a painful color of red, as a piercing chill stabbed him in the side.

Blue eyes shocked beyond belief followed down the line going to his abdomen just to find a bloody dagger at the hand of the petite brunet he came so close to calling friend.

"You are no hero, Link… Just a boy playing with a big sword." With a twisted smirk on his lips, Swift pushed the dagger deeper making the blond scream in pain.

Screaming himself awake, Link shot his back up from the ground where he was sleeping. With rapid and frantic gasps for air, he arched forward with the pain still flaring at his side.

"Shh… You shouldn't be moving like that." A friendly voice sounded from the left, startling Link completely out of the daze of sleep.

Giving a wary look to the person sitting on the damp ground next to the rocky wall, Link tried to reach for his sword only to find out that it is missing, together with his tunic and shirt. Firm rows of bandages instead are covering the area below his chest, holding tightly against his recently open wound.

Sensing the other blonde's distress, Sheik raised one hand and pointed to the hero's belongings resting at the other corner of this small dark-looking cave. "Fear not hero. I only took your upper garments to treat your wounds. Nothing inappropriate happened to you as you slept."

Now recognizing not only the voice but also the mysterious look of the Sheikah, Link resumed breathing normally again. "W-Where… where are we?" He gave a glance around the dank and gloomy place, finding nothing of interest save from his things and the barely lit campfire at the entrance that is covered with a large lump of leaves to hide its existence.

"Inside a small alcove next to the Sacred Meadow," Sheik replied simply. "You stepped out of the Temple looking like a walking corpse drenched in blood…" The Sheikah looked at Link with his watchful gaze, one that never fails to intimidate 'weak-minded' people as he calls them, but this time only managed to make the hero retreat in a shy posture. "Hero, what happened in there? Why were you stained in blood from head to boots?"

Link seemed to shrink at the Sheikah's question, something that the young ninja didn't fail to notice.

Those blue big eyes glanced at Sheik with a strange glow to them, no not strange at all. It's shame, and this feeling is hindering the hero's response to only a weak sigh.

Giving a sigh of his own, Sheik decided to try to soothe the other boy a bit more, so he would hopefully open up. "Before you came out, I saw someone running out from the Temple. A young brown-haired man, looking pale and scared as if he had seen a ghost." He chuckled internally in the irony that inside that place this person would most likely run up against a haunting spirit.

At the mention of the brunet, Link's shoulders twitched in response. He raised his gaze from the fixated look at the ground to finally glance back to those peering ruby eyes. "He escaped… T-That's… good."

Sheik's eyebrow perked up a little. "Was that a friend of yours?"

Link twitched again, this once making his gaze shift to the side again. "I thought so, at least yesterday I did."

A long sigh escaped the young hero, suddenly his eyes betrayed a deep look of sadness and exhaustion on them. This semblance of dread going against the very image the green-clad warrior had just one day before, this sudden change startling the Sheikah profoundly.

"Hero…" He called out in a calm, reassuring voice. "Something is weighing on your mind, is clear just by looking at you. And I want you to know that you can share it with me." That got a reaction of the blond hero, making his cerulean eyes glint even if a little with the cheerfulness of before. "All of Hyrule depends on you. But even so, I want you to depend on me. On anything."

Shuffling with his gloveless fingers, Link appears to be debating with himself. The short smile tugging at the corner of his lips showing that he is debating whether or not to trust this person, to open himself again.

He did it just yesterday, he sat down, he drunk that horrible alcohol thingy with someone… and a day later that person stabbed him in the back, almost quite literally. "Swift…" The name slipped by him, making the Sheikah lean forward to listen.

"That person I saw running?" Sheik asked.

"Yes…" Link sighed again. "At least he got out alive."

At that, the Sheikah frowned. However, before he could inquire more, Link began explaining a bit more. "Yesterday I went to Kakariko as you told me to. For most of the day, I was inside the graveyard, like very inside the graveyard. I found the old man Dampé I've met years ago there; he gave me that cool looking Hookshot for racing him."

Seeing the glimpse of 'Link' coming back to the Hero in his tale-telling made Sheik smile quietly as he keeps hearing very attentively.

"When I came out of his tomb night had fallen already." Getting a very pensive look to his expression, the hero sighed. "The few people I got the chance to talk to all, told me that Hyrule is not safe for travel anymore. So, I decided to stay in Kakariko for the rest of the night."

This part got a nod of approval from the Sheikah, who feared the hero may have been naïve enough to take the road at night.

"With people sleeping on the streets, I tried to find anyplace to stay… then I found a little building with open doors even at midnight." As Link detailed the location and quirks of said building, Sheik recognized it as the bar that sultry old lady Jina runs. Not a very respectable place to frequent, but still not the worse. "In there… I met this person. Swift."

There is this tone to the hero's voice when he speaks of this Swift person. It is so subtle and secretive that anyone else would fail to notice it, but to someone so extensively trained in watching the little changes in people's expression, it is clear as day.

Sheik wanted to voice a nagging question that is tickling the tip of his tongue, but he decided to keep his silence in favor of letting the hero continue in his tale.

"He just presented himself to me. So forthcoming and easygoing… he was like a strange beacon of normalcy in that depressing picture that was Kakariko to my eyes." Pressing two fingers to his lips, Link sighed. "We drunk this awful thing together, alcohol he called it."

Once again that feeling of longing showing in the hero's tone. Sheik frowned this time around. He can't tell why, but hearing about this person is making him very uncomfortable.

"Swift told me his sister was kidnaped." Link sighed again. "He was so desperate… asking for my help because he was too weak to do something about… His hero." His shoulders deflated; his eyes hidden behind his blond bangs.

"There was no sister, right?" Sheik asked calmly. Even if his voice is neutral and cold as always, his chest is burning with silent rage.

Biting his lips to choke a sobbing sound, Link shook his head without saying a word.

"Hero…" Sheik stood up, walking next to the other blond, crouching right next to him. "You can tell me. Inside the ruins of the temple, what truly happened?"

"F-Four of them were waiting for us…" Link stuttered a little, his meek voice only increasing the Sheikah's anger towards these people. "I stood up against them… I… I am so stupid. A giant chump." Shooting his gaze upwards, Link stared at Sheik with blue eyes glistening with heavy tears. "Swift stabbed me from behind… He said it would make it easier to subdue and sell me later."

That settled it. Sheik is livid beyond belief, and he can't even pinpoint the exact reason as to why but had he known any of this when he saw that man flee the Temple earlier...

"Did you fight them?" He asked gently, seeing the distress in his hero's face. "I ask this because, despite all the blood on you, your only heavy wound is the one at your abdomen."

Link shook his head slowly. "Only one. The burly man, their leader I think…" Then his expression turned grim, remorseful even. "I cleaved his arm right off. He screamed so much, there was so much blood." A loud sob escaped him now. "Sheik, I killed a person." He glanced down at his trembling hands. "That man's blood is in my hands… Ganondorf is right. I… I am no hero."

"That's not true, not true at all!" Sheik protested vehemently. "Hero, listen. Hyrule is not the same anymore. I know, for you the world still has that black and white tint to it. Monsters were bad and people were good. But that is not real anymore." He leaned in closer, taking Link's trembling hands onto his own. "The thing you put down, a slaver… that is no better than a monster who preys on innocents. I understand, taking a man's life is not easy for the first time, not for anyone."

Red and blue met each other, their glances locked so close and caring.

"You are our hero. Never let anyone make you doubt that."

Link smiled brightly at Sheik's words. So mesmerizing, pure, and gentle… Sheik could stare at him for hours and not mind getting lost in this wonderful sight.

As a furious streak of red appeared on his hidden face, the young Sheikah shook his head away from such wrongful feelings and ideas, pulling his hand away from Link's, much for the young hero's slight surprise.

Clearing his throat to get his mind away from those wonderful blue eyes, Sheik folded his arms against his chest. "This Swift character, you said that at least he got away. What happened to the rest of them?" He asked casually, trying very hard to not glance at the hero's bare chest. As stealing glances from the innocent young man would be very unprofessional of him.

"Dead… all of them." A look of exasperation returning to the young hero. "Ganondorf's phantom killed them."

Sheik's jumped in a worried stance. "Ganondorf's…. phantom?! What is that?" His mind failing to register the first time the hero had mention Ganondorf in his story, the young Sheikah was caught in surprise by the Evil Tyrant's name.

"I don't get it either." Link frowned. "It happened just as I… sliced that man's arm away. They all stood ready to engage me, then this phantom came out from one of the paintings on the wall. One by one, this phantom began to kill them in the most horrid ways." Clenching his fists, he glared at the ground as he continued. "Ganondorf's voice came from the ceiling above. He was watching and laughing at all that death and misery. When his phantom tried to kill Swift, I got between them and warned him to run away."

"That's when I saw him running out from the temple with a look of horror on his face." Sheik declared with a nod. "The phantom, what happened?"

Link frowned but leveled his gaze upwards to meet those ruby eyes. "I cut his head off… I don't remember anything else after that, just that I woke up in here."

Despite the tragic tale and the hurt feelings surrounding them, Sheik gave the hero a genuine smile. "I believe this phantom was your first trial. The curse plaguing the Forest Temple, and you destroyed it. Even with a group of despicable people trying to stand in your way, you achieved a great victory today, hero."

A streak of red raced across Link's fair features, a genuinely grateful smile gracing his lips.

"How are you feeling?" Sheik asked gently, walking towards the hero's belongings. "Can you stand and walk?"

"I think so." Link replied, curiously watching as the Sheikah brought his clothes back to him. "Why?"

"There is someone you need to meet." Sheik delivered the white silk shirt and the green tunic to his blond charge, who eyed him with a quirked eyebrow. "A reunion waiting seven years to happen."

"Who's that?" Link asked with a hint of his cheerfulness back to his voice.

The Sheikah giggled and shook his head. "Come on hero, don't be silly. I shouldn't need to explain this one to you."

Looking at the chuckling ninja, Link frowned and folded his arms. "Really, who is waiting for us?"

* * *


	6. Visiting Camp

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 6 - Visiting Camp_ **

* * *

"Careful… the ground is uneven here." Dutifully assisting the wounded swordsman at his side, Sheik is holding the hero's side with a gentle touch, supporting his slow and wobbling steps.

It's far past noon since they walked out of the small cave the Sheikah found to shelter the unconscious blond. At first, Link insisted that he was strong enough to walk on his own, but the first cracked stairs leading down to the green maze proved too much for him to stand on his own.

As the Hero wobbled forward ready to topple harshly with his face on the ground, Sheik stepped on and grabbed his arm on instinct, taking a sharp breath out of the green-clad warrior.

"Your clothes…" Sheik said in an apologetic whisper.

"Huh?" Big blue eyes glanced at him, making the Sheikah stifle ever so slightly. "S-Something wrong with them?" Link frowned a bit, always aware of the looks he got from people because of his clothing.

"With them? No. The problem is more on them." Noticing the small glint of confusion in his companion's eyes, Sheik had a hard time to hold in a giggle. "They are covered in blood, most of your attire anyway. Everything happened so fast, I hadn't time to clean them up."

Still quirking one eyebrow up, Link just shook his head and smiled; and in his innocence failing to see how much damage this 'weapon' causes on the flustered Sheikah.

"I don't mind." Said the Hero. "Sure, it feels sticky and I have this weird metallic smell on me now, but it doesn't bother me too much. You had to see the time I got stuck inside Lord Jabu Jabu… Navy complained about the smell for hours, she only stopped yelling at me when I jumped back into the lake."

At the mention of his long-lost companion, Link's expression cooled down into forlorn neutrality.

Sheik felt a tug in his chest again, this one caused by the opposite feeling as when he sees the other blond smiling at him so cheerfully.

Their Hero is such a strange person, not in a bad way, just such at odds with how Hyrule is now. A genuine person, who wears his feelings on his face, willing to share that sparkling smile with anyone.

Seeing the blond boy hurting, not from his wounds but also because of the darkness in the world trying to swallow his goodness. Normally the Sheikah couldn't place the blame for this chaos and calamity on anyone but Ganondorf. Yet the evil tyrant had no hand in harming his hero in all of this.

Clenching his free hand, Sheik frowned deeply.

A scum with darkened heart allured the naïve warrior, tricking him, betraying his so easy given trust.

'At least he got out alive…' Link's words floating in his mind, making the Sheikah click his tongue in small irritation.

"Why?" Sheik didn't even register the words escaping his lips until those beautiful cerulean eyes turned to him. "I remember guiding you to Kakariko, for there I hoped you would find the tool necessary to enter the Temple. Why would you trust a stranger so easily?"

Sheik felt the Hero shudder at his side, making the Sheikah chastise himself for letting the question come out harsher than what he intended.

"I… told you what happened?" Link replied quietly, averting his gaze to the side in shame of his naiveness.

"Yes, hero. You told me who you came to know that low-life scum." Again, he felt the blond at his side shudder, but now he got a slight frown too. "What I want to understand is why trust a complete stranger like him? You ought to know that the world is not the same."

"How would I?" Link said back in a firmer tone. "He sounded like a good person. We talked, we laughed… he told me of his sister with such grief and guilt in his eyes. I had to help him, anyone in my place would."

Taken back by these words, Sheik came to a halt, in a way forcing Link to stop with him. "No hero…" He said calmly in response, his ruby eyes staring directly onto Link's blue ones. "No one would."

This made Link frown deepen, his blue eyes casting down to the side in resignation but also in child-like anger; no real ire just stubbornness.

Sheik watched his charge sulk at his side, the shade of a small smile pressing against his mask. 'How could I've been so blind… For the first moment when I found him in the Temple of Time, I doubted his worth. How could I've missed how special he is?'

"Hero…" Sheik called out to the pouting blond.

The response is an annoyed grunt.

"I admire the goodness in your heart. Putting yourself in a frail for someone else with such willingness… I admire that." Sheik noticed the hero's expression brighten up, a glint of happiness in his eyes. "However, we have to work this stupid naivety out of you. We wouldn't want anyone else tricking you into a situation such as this again."

Then the frowning came back, together with the pouting.

'I swear… how adorable can he be?'

Resuming their slow march in silence, Sheik continued to help the brooding warrior in their hazy path inside the maze. Casually giving a couple looks to the side, the Sheikah gave in to the secret yearning in his chest, stealing more than a few glances to the handsome face of their hero.

'Goddesses… this is getting out of control.'

Conflicted words born of very sweet torture, an enticing aching which the Sheikah has no idea how worse it will get in his near future.

* * *

Still taking support in the Sheikah's shoulder, the young hero stepped into the clearing inside the green sea of trees that is the Kokiri Wilds. In here he found their destination, a hidden place that not even Ganondorf's minions could find.

Tents, wooden barracks, and make-shift stables for horses and cows. Where once stood only towering trees and unsuspecting wildlife, now stands a small bastion of civilization. Despite the lingering sobering mood permeating in the air, adults and children alike are living their lives in the most normality they can achieve.

Splitting their time between maintaining their new home and helping the soldiers in all they could, the refugees of Hyrule endure these harsh times with the comfort of their Princess' light.

This peaceful routine suddenly crashed and stopped, as curious eyes first landed on the pair of newcomers, a hush of whispers following right after.

For the time the young Link spent exploring the world and getting to know new people, he has never come to face with a situation as distressing and weird as he finds himself at this moment.

"Sheik…" Link called out quietly. Pushing himself close to his smaller companion, the Hero overshadowed the Sheikah with his form, not that the red-eyed boy minded the closeness. "W-What are they doing?" His question also came in a hushed way, his blue eyes never leaving the ever-increasing mass of people gathering in front of the Royal camp.

Wearing his stoic mannerism as he always does in front of people, Sheik observed as the gathering began to chant, pray and some even sob with knees in the ground. Truly an unnerving scene even for him.

"Hero… These people have survived this long mainly because of the Princess' efforts, but also because of their faith in you." Sheik explained calmly.

Link glanced to his blond companion, one eyebrow quirking up. "How do they know that their hero is me?"

"The Princess…" The Sheikah continued. "She told her subject your tale many, many times. The boy in Kokiri clothes raising to face the darkness." He pointed down to the Hero's bloodied clothes. "You're the first adult they have ever seen in Kokiri clothes."

Nodding back in response, Link glanced once more at the horde of people chanting his tittle, and by this point, they are starting to really creep him out. "Really, why are they doing that?" He chirped to his companion, getting a short chuckle from him.

"They probably want to run at you and touch the Hero of Time to see if you are truly real."

"And they are keeping so much distance for…?"

Sheik stared at the Hylians in front of him, his ruby eyes quickly noticing the other glint in those hopeful gazes. Fear, doubt, and disgust. Not of their Hero, not of their hope in the form of a handsome young man, no.

"Because they resent me," Sheik said drily, a frown marring his hard expression. "Fret not, they will not dare to charge at you if I am by your side."

"Resent…" Link repeated the words, his blue eyes traveling back to the Sheikah with a glow of concern on them.

But before the hero could ask yet again, or the Sheikah could expand in this dark side of their history, a stream of hurried steps came from behind the group of people.

"Clear the way people, please clear the way." Boomed a firm and strong voice, carrying a tone of discipline but also a tingle of trepidation. "Master Sheikah, I received word of your return… we didn't expect that you would bring company."

A young man with messy and fuzzy black hair stepped out from within the masses. Dressed in full silver and dark-blue of the Royal Army attire, save for the helmet, he carries a short sword in his belt and a curious look in his hazel-colored eyes.

"Captain Briar." Sheik greeted the soldier with a short nod, receiving a full salute in response. "Given a few stray circumstances, I've decided to return to camp earlier than expected."

The captain shifted his gaze to the Sheikah's side, his face turning slightly pale at the appearance of the stranger man. "I-Is this… him?"

Sheik nodded again. "Link this is Captain Briar, he is one of the pillars holding the army together and helping the Princess keep the people here safe. Captain Briar, this one at my side is Link… The Hero of Time."

Briar's look of trepidation vanished as if it was washed away by a calm river. Taking three eager steps forward, he moved towards the green-clad blond and raised one hand. "Mister Hero, i-it's a great honor to meet you, sir."

An unintended smile crossed Link's lips at the captain's eager presentation. "Nice to meet you too, Captain. But please, just call me Link. No mister or mister hero, just Link. It's so weird to have adults calling me sir."

"O-Of course sir, I-I mean, Link." Briar's cheeks grew slightly pink at the mistake in words. Taking a long breath in and then letting it out, the captain regained some of his composure, standing straighter in his stance. "Master Sheikah, the Princess has requested your presence in her quarters."

Sheik nodded silently in response, but as he tried to step forward and help Link along the way, he noticed that the young Captain still stood in their way. "Anything more to say, Captain?" His strict way of speaking making the man jolt in place slightly.

"She asked for your presence alone, sir. I don't know if the Princess anticipated that the Hero would be in your company, but those are her orders." Seeing the slight look of irritation on the Sheikah's only visible eye, Briar raised his hand and continued to speak. "If I may suggest, the Hero looks in need of medical assistance. I would gladly accompany him to the medical ward, while you attend to the Princess' summon."

Pressing his hand in a tighter hold around the Hero's arm, Sheik hesitated for a moment. But sensing this hesitation, Link cleared his throat to get his attention.

"It's okay, Sheik." The hero said calmly; his blue eyes so penetrating, so entrancing. "I will try to stay out of trouble while you speak with her."

Surprising the young captain, whose eyes widened like sparkling globes, Sheik let slip a genuine giggle. "Why do I find that so hard to believe?"

"Hey!" Link protested very loudly in his childish way, a stark contrast to the perfect image of Hero that people imagined him to be. "Totally unnecessary backhanded comment." Awkwardly detaching himself from his blond companion, Link wobbled his way forward, leaving a very entertained Sheikah behind him.

"Link," Sheik called out, making the Hero pause and give a side glance at him. "I will come to find you after this."

Then his chest began to burn at the image of that beautiful and bright smile that only the youthful hero possesses.

"Sure." Link replied cheerfully, turning back to follow the raven-haired captain into the opposite side of the camp.

* * *

Folding both arms against his chest, tapping one finger impatiently at the opposite limb, Sheik is currently watching as his liege and surrogated sister is restlessly passing from one side to the other of the main room of her huge personal quarters.

"He's here… I can't believe it. After so long, he is really here." Said the distressed princess, her erratic pacing getting worse by the minute.

"Zel… you're being silly." He said with a long sigh.

"It's has been so long... What do I say to him?" She stopped suddenly, giving a serious look to her little brother. "What if we make a wrong impression on him?"

Sheik snorted unintentionally at those words, earning him a serious glare from Zelda. "Look, I don't think you can give a wrong impression on Link." He said thinking of the pool of youthful cheerfulness that is the other blond, and he can't imagine Link having bad thoughts about anyone. "Just try to be a little less overwhelming than you usually are to people. I doubt he will follow any complicated conversation you throw at him."

Zelda looked a lot less troubled after the Sheikah's reassurance. Letting out a long sigh, she placed both hands at her waist and looked at her brother with a playful little grin.

"Link, huh…" Her tone clearly conveying what she means by that.

"Please don't start with that." Sheik growled, his right hand going to his face in annoyance.

She giggled at his reaction. Doing a small spin with her regal long dress, she moved closer to Sheik just to press a poking finger at his arm. "First you called the hero, HIM, then you so begrudgingly passed to mention the hero by his title and nothing else… now it's Link all of a sudden."

"Completely out of annoyance by the insistence of the previously mentioned HERO." Sheik spat angrily, his ruby eyes shifting irritably to the large silky curtains that make the walls on his left.

"Uhum…" Replied the totally not convinced princess. "A cute boy dressed in Kokiri clothes, so silly and brave that stunned a certain someone out of his normal thoughts." She recited a small part of a very old conversation they had shared, one that Sheik described the young boy clad in green sneaking past the garden of the Royal Castle.

"Bah! Can we speak about something more pertinent to the events of today?" Rebuked the irked Sheikah. "I don't know, how about the reason you called for my presence alone?"

Zelda's childish grin slowly disappeared; in its shadow, a serious frown took over her expression. "We agreed that this meeting would take place days before we could march against Ganondorf. But you decided to bring the Hero to us so much earlier…" She walked over to the clean wooden table at the side of the room, taking a seat on the cushioned chair at the helm. "I know my little brother. You wouldn't deviate from our plains without a good reason."

"A group of bandits ambushed the Hero inside the Forest Temple," Sheik explained with a grim look to his otherwise stoic face. "They wounded him badly, at least I would consider a serious wound. He just grunted and said that everything was fine."

Zelda grew silent, a look of contemplation to her. "This sounds… concerning." She said quietly. "I find it hard to imagine how a few bandits can manage to give so much trouble to The Hero of Time himself."

Sheik understood the meaning of her words, to which he shook his head very firmly. "They tricked him. One of the crooks meet with him on Kakariko… this… filth deceived the hero with a sob story about a kidnapped sister. The hero agreed to help this person to save their sister, but when they arrived at the Temple…"

"There was no sister…" Zelda finished with an irritated frown. "How low have Hyrule fallen… Ganondorf's influence has transformed so much of those who were good people into this type of…"

"Trash." Sheik said coldly.

"Sheik…"

"Zel, don't ask me to show compassion to this type of people." He argued with a sizzling glow in his ruby eyes. "They tricked someone with such a good heart. They were planning to sell him to the ring of slavers that are Ganondorf's lieutenants… They wounded him!"

"I understand, Sheik… better than anyone else, I understand. If only we can banish his evil before it corrupts Hyrule beyond recognition." The princess sighed heavily, both hands going to her face.

"We will. I believe in it now." The Sheikah declared boldly, his eyes betraying no hint of doubts on them. "After so long, after so much loss and hurt. I've finally found hope, we found hope again."

A caring and sweet smile crossed her lips. Her blue eyes so tired after many years of war, finally shining with a gentle glow of happiness. "Our hero came back to us."

* * *

"Right here, sir, I-I mean, Link!" The stuttering soldier stepped aside and pointed at the open large tent in front of them. "We built this place to take in as much injured as possible, both soldiers and civilians. But we have been hiding in here for years, and in the last few we have barely seen any major battles."

"That's good, right?" Link said back.

Briar stared dumbfounded at the blond. It was a consensus between the soldiers that this lack of battles just showed how bad in shape they are, how powerless they truly are to change their fate and retake Hyrule from the invaders. Yet, listening to the way the young blond said it, so full of innocent optimism, it was hard for the young captain to not nod and smile.

"Yes, it's good," Briar replied with a friendly tone. "Just don't regret saying that when you get our chief medic's sole attention on yourself. There's a reason that even without battles, this tent is always empty."

"That's a bit spooky… a Poe is haunting the place or something?" Link took a cautious step towards the open tent, his blue gaze peering inside the gloomy and dark medical center.

Taking the hero by surprise, Briar exploded in a fit of laughter. The blond jolted back from his spot at the entrance of the tent, staring at the raven-haired soldier with wide-open eyes.

"P-Poe?! Hahahah." Pressing both hands against his abdomen to try and stop the laugh-inducing sensation in his insides, Briar bent forward in heavy chuckles. "Oh Goddesses, this was hilarious."

"What's so funny about that?" Link rebutted with a lukewarm frown. "Poe can be dangerous if you're not careful."

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Briar replied wiping a few stray tears from the corner of his eyes. "But the spooky thing inside this place is way more dangerous than any Poe."

Link quirked an eyebrow at the captain. Even wreaking his brain to think about it, he doesn't understand why the soldier, or anyone, in this case, would be so easygoing when there is something like this so dangerously close to the people living here.

"Ho… that's a funny story." A cool and collect voice came from within the tent, its tone calm but carrying a chilling edge to it.

Captain Briar, who was laughing seconds ago, turned completely pale. As if someone had cast a freezing spell onto him, the soldier stared into the barely lit medical center, his mouth hanging open and every member of his body stiff.

From within the open entrance came a red-haired woman of small stature, dressed with long and heavy white robes. Her face has a beautiful outline to it but also carries the marks of time as a few wrinkles dim her otherwise pretty features.

"Go on, Captain." She said with a venomous look. "Please don't stop such a fascinating story just because of me."

"I-I-I am needed somewhere else. Y-Yes, my unit has a very important training schedule for this precise moment." He blurted out in a hurry, his hazel eyes going everywhere but back to the woman's judging green eyes. "H-Hero!" He turned to Link, who jump startled a bit at the sudden loud call. "I leave you on doctor Rose's capable hands! I wish you a fast recovery and may the Goddesses watch over your steps."

Fleeing away faster than dust in the wind, Captain Briar found the quickest route away from this part of the camp, quickly disappearing behind a wall of tents in the back.

Awkwardly standing in place, Link was left alone with the stoic-looking woman and her judging green eyes threatening to pierce a hole right through him.

"Then, what about you?" She asked in a disinterested voice. "Some dumb new recruit who nicked himself with a spear while sparring with a wild animal or something?" One of her fingers pointed at the ridiculous amount of blood staining his green tunic.

"Stabbed in the back actually." Link replied with a playful grin, which failed to impress the doctor in any shape.

Rolling her eyes at the boy's comment, the red-haired woman turned around and waved a hand for him to follow after her.

They proceeded to walk in silence past a few neatly made beds, who by the looks of it had barely any visitors the couple few days. As they reached a more secluded bed at the right corner of the improvised hospital, she tapped the hard mattress and glanced at the blond.

"Take your clothes out and sit on the bed." She commanded him nonchalantly.

Glancing left and right, Link stared at the woman a bit flustered. "H-Here?"

"Yeah, here." She growled back at him. "Are you a cuddled princess or something? Take your damn clothes out, there is nothing in there that I haven't seen many times over."

Burning red in the face, the young Hero hesitated to bring his hand to the lower end of his tunic. However, as the grumpy doctor growled yet again at him, he began to quickly dispose himself of everything but his intimate clothing.

"Hm…" She pressed one hand against his shoulder, pushing him further into the bed. "Initial treatment. Rude, clumsy, and full of mistakes." The doctor huffed at the bloody bandages pressing against the hero's wounds. "That Sheikah boy did this, did he not?" She glanced upwards to look at Link.

"I think so—GAAAHHHH!" His pain-filled scream echoed inside the empty medical tent, his voice vibrating against the clothed ceiling. "What are you doing?!" He tried to pull away from the woman pulling at the bandages and poking at his wounds.

"Stand still and quit whining," Rose yelled at him, pushing the hero's back against the bed as she worked on him. "The more you wiggle and whine, the longer it will take for me to undo this piss-poor excuse of stitches."

"Wait, this is- AAAARRRHHHHH!" Link screeched again, this time he swears the woman is tearing his abdomen apart in the cruelest of manners. 'Captain Briar, what in the spirits' name have you put me into?'

* * *

From each of the places Sheik manages to avoid whenever possible, this is one right in front of him tops all others.

Being on the receiving end of chastising glares, ill-intended gossips, and even full open hostility; felt a lot better than facing one of the few people that had no fear of him or what he is. Standing one step away from the eerie medical tent, he sighs deeply in defeat, wishing that he could face a horde of bigot Hylians than the red-haired demon herself.

Gathering his resolve and clinging on the need of retrieving their hero, the young Sheikah steeled his screaming senses and wandered bravely into her 'lair'.

"Well, well. If isn't the sneaky little ninja. I thought you wouldn't come back here, what happened?"

It's not easy to surprise the heavily trained Sheikah, let alone scare him, but the sound of doctor Rose's infuriating voice coming from the left sent a few chills down his spine.

Twirling in place with a spin of his feet, Sheik turned to face the low desk sitting next to the entrance, a piercing jade gaze fixated at him from behind a pile of papers.

"Doctor…" He did his best to hold the other name he wanted to call her as he nodded in greeting to the red-haired woman.

"You're here to get your baby back, I suppose?" She said in a sarcastic tone, the glint of light coming from a glass cup, half full of liquor, sitting in her right hand.

"Baby?"

She snorted and pointed the cup-holding hand to the backside of her tent. "Blond, tall, blue eyes, whining and annoying. That's yours, right?"

A strong tint of red crossed the blonde's face, enough for it to show past his mask and long fringe falling over his covered eye. "H-He is not mine!" He denied very firmly, despite the shaky tone of his voice.

Rose rolled her eyes and snarled at him. "Not like that, stupid boy." She then cracked a huge grin, paired together with a mocking gaze. "But good to know that even the Sheikah have flings."

"Preposterous!" Shriek the Sheikah boy, much to the doctor's grievance. "I do not harbor any impure feelings such as this towards the Hero."

"Boy, just shut the hell up before you give me a migraine." Taking one of the loose medical files in front of her, Rose crunched the paper into a tight ball and tossed it at him. "Go get your boyfriend and get out of my ward. With all his whining he already broke my limit of annoyance for the day."

Still seething at the insolent doctor's words, Sheik turned on his heel and marched further inside the medical tent, doing his best to not turn and throw a few very deserving curse words at the insufferable woman.

Collecting his thoughts and calming himself with a long-tired sigh, he continued pacing towards the only bed with the grey curtains closed.

"Hero…" He called the other blond, announcing his presence before pulling the curtain open slowly. "As promised, I am here to tak-" Sheik's words died on his throat before they could sing from his vocal cords fully.

Despite having treated the hero's wound, Sheik had barely any mind or thought to admire the other boy's physic, given the urgency of matters of the time. But now, having Link standing right in front of him with his shirt and tunic resting on the vacant bed, it is impossible not to.

His visible ruby-eye widening in shock as it slowly but very attentively glanced at every inch of Link's muscled and very defined naked upper body. Curves, size, and even the faint scars tracing a few parts of his arms… It is so mesmerizing, captivating… so dangerous.

"Sheik!" Link called out cheerfully, waving one hand to his new friend. "You don't know how glad I am of seeing you."

Registering the sound of words, Sheik could only grunt unintelligently as he failed hard to grasp anything about it.

"That doctor Rose is a crazy woman." Link cried out, shooting his hands in the air in his exasperation. "She tugged, pulled, and poked everywhere. At some point, I thought she was going to kill me with that little knife of hers. But I have to say, I feel a lot better now. My belly doesn't even hurt that much anymore, see." He pointed to the impeccable stitches tracing his skin.

Noticing the absent gaze coming from his red-eyed friend, Link frowned and tilted his head to the side.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked innocently.

"Ah… yes. I am perfectly fine." The Sheikah cleared his throat a few times, his gaze quickly drifting away from the hero's form as another streak of red crossed his cheeks. "I am very glad that you're feeling more disposable. I-If you don't mind me asking, why are you still half-naked?"

"Doctors orders." Link replied promptly. "She said it would be best if I let the wound breath for a while." He then leaned over on the bed and pulled a white long open tunic made for patients. "Here, she gave me this. Told me to wear it until tomorrow morning at least."

Sheik watched in silent despair as his hero slid the robe down his head, covering most of those well-defined and alluring muscles.

"You know…" Link said clumsily as he straightens his new attire. "She looks and sounds scary as hell, but I got the impression that doctor Rose is a very good person… deep down at least."

"As much as I loathe that woman's crudeness, she is indeed a very good person." A playful frown tugged at his mask as Sheik shook his head. "Just don't tell her I said this."

Melting the red-eye blonde's heart yet again, Link let out his voice in his spirited and very charming laughter. "Your secret is safe with me." He then moved to the small furniture next to the head of his bed and took the Master Sword in his hands again. "Well then, should we go to meet the Princess?"

"Indeed… it's time. She is quite anxious to speak with you again."

"Me too, haha…" Letting out a chuckle, Link rubbed the back of his head, his green hat wiggling funnily at his touch. "Anyway, as Saria always said to me. There is no time as the present to face what you're scared of doing." Hoisting his weapon on his back, the blond warrior walked past his friend, giving the Sheikah a friendly pat on the shoulder as he walked away.

Watching the hero marching his way to the exit, Sheik stood behind only for a moment, musing to himself plenty of things.

'This feeling in my chest, I can't control it anymore... Zelda will never let this settle if she notices it. And there is him, he doesn't even know how much he affects people with so little…' He closed his eyes in mental exhaustion. 'This meeting will be dreadful.'

* * *


	7. A Beacon in the Dusk

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

_**AU:** If you're reading this before the end of the year, which will be impressive considering the date of upload, I wish you a very happy and peaceful _ _holidays. If you're reading this already in 2021, then I wish you a great start of the year._

* * *

**_Chapter 7 - A Beacon in the Dusk_ **

* * *

"Go on. The Princess is waiting for you." Sheik raised his voice after watching the hero stand still for a couple of silent minutes in front of the Princess' royal quarters.

Steering his gaze to the blond Sheikah at his left side, Link gave him a slow and slightly uncertain nod. "I've not thought about this until now, but…" He pressed one hand against the purple curtain hanging as the door in front of him. "This feels like I'm starting my journey all over again. Meeting the Princess so she can send me to fight evil and whatnot. But… It doesn't feel as cool anymore."

"Why not?" Sheik asked before the other blond could pull the curtains open.

Clutching his hold on the dark fabric, Link sighed deeply, shifting his eyes forward and away from his companion. "It feels too real now. Dangers. Suffering. People… Everything."

Letting this lingering thought in the air, Link pulled at the belt of his sword's sheath. Mustering his courage, the young hero pulled the curtains away and stepped inside the spacious and beautiful tent. Leaving a dumbstruck Sheik to watch him go, the red-eyed blond dazed out of any witty remarks.

"Link!" As soon as he stepped into the hard floor at the entrance, the Princess called out to him. Rushing in hurried steps the beautiful royal leader of Hyrule's rebellion came to meet their hero.

A blond Hylian woman of fair skin, sparkling blue eyes full of hope, and a glint of heavy darkness deep inside of them. As much as Zelda changed from a frail and small girl to a strong and tall woman, she looks just like the young princess that Link had met before; for him, a few months ago, for the rest of Hyrule an eternity of times past.

"Oh, Link. Look at you." Surprising him with a very forthcoming demeanor, Zelda grabbed both of Link's hands and raised them in her firm and caring hold. "You've become so tall and handsome, a far cry from the chubby little boy I met so long ago."

Link quirked an eyebrow at her comment, but seeing her giggle so carefreely made him ignore it as just friendly banter. "I was not chubby. Maybe a little full in the cheeks, but that's all."

"Oh, I beg to differ." A third voice came from behind the hero, making both him and the princess glance at the Sheikah standing at the doorway. "You were chubby and fluffy. Like a little puppy running around in the garden." Sheik said in teasing, far too determined in his endeavor of making the hero blush to notice the look he got from his sister.

"Says mister 'hides my face'." Link growled quietly. "Maybe you're the chubby one behind that mask and all those bandages."

"Now you're just being childish, Hero." Sheik replied and then chuckled. His calm response only pushing the other blond to frown even harder, his cheek now flaring up red.

Watching the small exchange between them, Zelda could not help herself but let her voice escape in loud laughter. "You two have become such good friends so quickly. That's a relief, really." She leaned closer to Link, giving him a playful grin. "Sheik is not the easiest person to get along with most people."

This time it was the red-eyed blond that blushed ever so slightly at the princess' words. Even if Link failed to notice this because of the Sheikah's mask, Zelda was very quick to notice her little brother's reaction, something that made her giggle again.

"Please, come inside. There's so much we need to talk about, the front door is scarcely the appropriate place for it." She stepped back, waving to both of them to follow her into another room.

As Link poised himself to wander inside the spacious room, a firm but gentle hand pressed at his right shoulder.

"Take out your shoes," Sheik said almost in a commanding tone, the way he normally speaks to the ground soldier. Seeing the confused look he received, the Sheikah raised his other hand to point at the row of footwears resting at the wooden floor at their side. "We walked on dirt and mud; your boots are unclean at best. Take them out least you ruin the proper carpet floor of her highness' quarters."

"Aye, aye, mom…" Tossing his backside on the floor, Link complied to Sheik's words, taking his boots and leaving them next to a pair of sandals at the back of the wooden floor.

Puffing air from his nostrils, he jumped back to his feet and followed right after the princess, leaving Sheik behind once more to shake his head at the boyish behavior of the prophesized Hero of Time.

Despite the initial wonder of the main room of this tent, Link was not prepared for the sight that welcomed him in the dining area. As much glint and rich furniture decors this place, his gaze fell and never left the main table resting right in the middle of the room.

"After I learned that Sheik was bringing you here. I asked the chef to make a proper dinner for us." Zelda said proudly, presenting the royal banquet to Link. "Please, feel free to chose whatever you like. I hope everything is to your taste."

Nodding quietly to her, Link wandered from chair to chair, his big blue eyes going from dish to dish. "I… never seen so much food before." He said shyly, stopping by the opposite end of the table to where Zelda is standing.

"Well, then it is my honor to present you to a feast like this." She proclaimed with a warm smile. Sitting at the helm of the table, the young Princess watches and waits with bated breath to the blonde's further reactions.

Moments, seconds, even a full minute passes but Link does nothing but stare at a basket full of golden-brown loaves of bread fresh out of the oven.

"Something amiss?" Zelda asks, slightly worried at his lack of words or response.

Coming from the main room, Sheik's steps in just to catch Link staring mind-absently at the mostly plain food resting on the basket, at least plain compared to everything else. "You are free to eat anything you like." He suggested with a small smile tugging his lips. "This was made especially for you."

"This is too much…" Link finally said something. His voice dried with a slight hint of disgust in them. "This is way too much food."

Both Sheik and Zelda's smiles faded away.

"Hero…" Sheik called out to him, then those blue eyes turned to look at him with a frown.

"The people at Kakariko. They had barely anything to eat. Only that awful stale and tasteless bread." Link pressed his hand into tight fists, his eyes turning down to the table again just to make his frown worsen. "I can't eat this… Not when I know that people are going to sleep with nothing inside of their bellies."

Zelda and Sheik traded a heavy glance between one another, with the former clenching his fists in anger and shame of his lack of power to save his home town.

"Link…" Zelda called out to him, gone the easygoing look of her eyes. "Not even one day goes by that I don't anguish over the woes of my people. I know how much they do suffer. How many innocents have perished or worse at the hands of Ganondorf…"

"Then?!" Link raised his voice, looking directly at the Princess.

"What you expect us to do, Hero?" Growling his response to the other blond, Sheik walked right up to Link and stared directly at his blue eyes. "What should we do, huh? Throw ourselves against that horde of fiends that is HIS army?!"

"Sheik, please…" Zelda raised her hand, giving a stern look at her brother. Much to his annoyance, Sheik obliged to her order, snorting away as he walked back to the other side of the dining room. "As I said before, Link. We understand how you feel, more than anyone else… I understand. But Ganondorf is too powerful, more than anyone had anticipated."

At the mention of the Dark Lord who conquered Hyrule, the blazing fire of Link's frown disappeared. 'Everything comes back to him…' He thought silently.

"On the first three months of the war, our army was almost three times the size it is now," Sheik added with a grim tone. "Foolishly, we thought we could withstand their advance, that we would split Hyrule fields in two, slowly but surely gain ground against the invading force coming from the Gerudo Valley."

"What… What happened?" Link asked.

"Ganondorf happened," Sheik replied with a sparkling glint of ire in his red eyes.

"At the first moment, we thought we could win this war." Zelda chimed in. "Right after we lost the Castle City, Ganondorf vanished from the front lines. Without his direct command, his army of mercenaries was sloppy and barely organized. However, we were only fooling ourselves with false hope. For when victory was so close at hand, Ganondorf himself came back from the Sacred Realm with the Triforce of Power in hands."

"The battle of Zora's Domain," Sheik said with a growl of distaste. "That was not a battle. It was a massacre."

Nodding weakly at the comment, Zelda continued. "Wielding the power of the Goddesses, Ganondorf utterly destroyed our vanguard. Many brave women and men lost their lives that day so we could escape." She then brought both hands to her face and sighed. "However, our brothers Zoras had not such a kind fate as the rest of us. Ever since that battle, they have been missing… every single one of them."

"I… I didn't…" Link stuttered, his gaze trailing down to the table in front of him. "Sorry…"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Hero." Sheik replied; his tone back to the gentle way of speaking, a tone that he only uses with Zelda, now with Link too. "There is only one creature responsible for all this misery."

"We had no hope of facing against Ganondorf… until now," Zelda said with a friendly and warm voice, her blue eyes shining brightly at the sight of their fabled hero. "You are our hope of a better tomorrow, Link. Just let us spoil you a little bit." She pointed down to the delicious looking feast, a sincere smile on her lips.

"To throw food away would not help anybody," Sheik said his piece, taking a seat on a chair at the left side of the table. "But you will be able to help a lot more people if you recover faster from your injury." With that said, the red-eyed blond took a piece of bread and placed it in his place as he reached for a jug of juice. "So, eat."

As peer summons of the Sheikah's words, a long growling sound echoed from the hero's belly, making the poor blond blush. Ignoring the subtle giggles from the other two, Link brought his attention to the tasty looking soup resting next to the tray of boiled potato.

Carefully but with hungry haste, he filled his plate with a rich variety of food. However just as he reached for a fork and knife, his eyes casually glanced up towards his company. Right then, the fork slipped from his fingers, and feel with a ringing sound on the table.

Sheik drifts his eyes to the hero, quirking an eyebrow at the sudden noise. "Something amiss?" He asked after noticing the petrified stare he is receiving.

There, casually holding a piece of bread against his soft and thin lips, Sheik is showing his face fully as his mask is resting below his chin and only his fringe rides a portion of his left eye. Link stared and observed every little detail of the blonde's face.

Skin pale but fair like a glistering pearl, a pretty small nose, one very alluring mole right above the left corner of his lips. From the little bits Link had seen before when interacting with Sheik, he could piece a blurred look to the Sheikah's face, an image which never did justice to the real deal.

"You know… that's not really how I imagined you would look." He said unconsciously, his cheeks turning slightly reddened at the weird look he got from Sheik.

"How so?" Inquired the mildly annoyed Sheikah, a faint pang hurting in his chest.

"Hah… You hide your face all the time. I thought…" Link brought a hand to the back of his head, messing with his hair and hat. "I thought… Look, I just didn't think you would be pretty like that. I mean, why hide it?"

Instantly Sheik's fair complexion turned a lot redder as if someone had lightened a bonfire under his seat. It felt impossible to hold his gaze fixed on Link's face, but as he turned to the side and noticed the giant grin on the Princess's face, he had to turn and face the hero again.

Resting the bread on the plate once more, Sheik cleared his throat, pressing one hand against his lips. "My garment is meant for secrecy and stealth, hero… I-It has nothing to do with my appearance."

"Oh, I get it." Link bopped his right fist on his left hand. "You wouldn't be very scary if people could see your face." He sounds and looks way too proud of this statement for Sheik's taste.

Zelda then giggled a bit louder on her seat. "Be careful, Link. Sheik can be quite scary when he wants to." Her expression then grew softer and somber. "As you know, appearance can be quite deceiving."

A concerned frown took hold of the hero's once playful expression. "You told her…" He stated firmly, looking at calm looking Sheikah.

"There are no secrets between the Princess and I." Sheik replied, taking his bread back in his hand.

One of Link's 'angry' pouts came to his face, his hands promptly going down to fiddle with the food on his plate. "You didn't need to tell her that…" He grumbled quietly, barely audible for the other two.

"Link, there's nothing to be ashamed about your incident in the Forest Temple." Zelda's words sounding very understanding and caring. "In fact, I am very proud of you. In these awful times when people scarcely rise to protect others, you went further and beyond. You tried to help someone that you thought was in need." She smiled, almost a motherly smile. "You proved to have the heart of a real hero."

Link smiled shyly at the Princess's words, then a glint of playfulness crossed the light of his blue eyes. He shifted his gaze to the quiet Sheikah and smirked. "See, she didn't call me a dumbo idiot."

"Neither did I, Hero." Sheik replied calmly, much to Link's chagrin. "I only called you naïve and innocently minded. Words that I still stand by." He smiled at the hero, the first-time showing Link his own cheerful expression in whole.

Divided between being intrigued by that beautiful smile and equally annoyed by that stupid smile, Link reserved himself to puff air angrily from his nostrils and to dig furiously with a fork at his food.

Watching the two blonds interacting with one another gives Zelda a very fluffy feeling in her heart, as well as hard-driving ammunition against her little brother when they speak in private again sometime in the future. "Please boys, behave for now." She said with a hearty smile. "There will be plenty of times for teasing and flirting later on."

"I utterly condemn and disavowal such commentary." Sheik protested very firmly, his red eyes staring in a fierce frown at his sister.

Not understanding quite well what she meant by that or why Sheik felt so offended by it, Link just continued to eat his food. Despite the still gloomy sensation of enjoying such a rich feast while thinking of the people of Kakariko, Link has to admit, he was in desperate need of a proper meal.

* * *

After their mostly uneventful dinner, the group of three moved back to the main living room of her royal quarters, where they are sitting around the small coffee table, enjoying a warm cup of green-leaf tea.

Curious about the Hero's awakening and the situation of the Sacred Realm, the Princess asked him about the ancient Sage who was supposed to instruct and guide Link on his first steps on this different new world.

"That's quite unusual…." Zelda said in worry. "There should be a reasonable explanation of why the Sage of Light was not present in your awakening… Are you sure no one spoke to you in the Sacred Realm?"

Link nodded, pulling the cup away from his lips. "Pretty sure. I remember pulling the sword from the pedestal, then next thing I know Sheik is standing behind me and my body is all big."

"I can vouch for that." Sheik raised his voice right after. "The Hero popped out from thin air, as clueless as a newborn cub."

"Could've said that without the newborn cub part." Link chirped with a faint frown. And the Sheikah just chuckled at the reaction he always gets when teasing the other blond.

"Rauru was supposed to watch over you… What of the Forest Sage?" The Princess eyed Link with big startled eyes. "You said that you vanquished a phantom of Ganondorf in the Temple, right? It was most likely your trial, but what happened next?"

Taking her question in stride, Link glanced down and shook his head. "I… don't remember much. That phantom thing was very hard to beat, he jumped from painting to painting; he then began to hurl some magic balls at me, just like the ones Ganondorf used at me in front of Castle City. When it died, I walked back to the entrance and then… nothing. The next time I woke up, Sheik was taking care of my wounds."

"There was something," Sheik added in, taking the attention of the other two on him. "Hero, when you fell from the Temple's entrance, your right hand was glowing." He leaned on his seat and tapped the back of Link's hand. "Right here, a golden triangle was shining like a beacon of light."

Raising his hand in front of him, Link gazed at his ungloved hand, trying to imagine a golden mark glowing on his skin.

"May I?" Zelda moved to the edge of her seat, leaning in closer to Link sitting across from her on the other side of the small table. She waited for his consenting nod and then took his hand upon hers.

As their hands touched in a firm but gentle grasp, the shining symbol of Triforce came back to life. One shining very brightly at the back of the Princess's hand and the other resting with a dimmer glow on the Hero's hand.

"Can you feel it?" Zelda asked with a small smile. "This is the boon the Goddesses bestowed upon you. The Triforce of Courage."

Link stared at the golden mark, his eyes reflecting the golden glow. "It… tingles."

"Does it?" Zelda said with a small giggle. Then her expression grows a bit colder as her eyes returned to the Hero's Triforce. 'His hold on the Triforce… it feels so weak, so faint.' She then raised her blue eyes to look at the distracted boy's face. 'What happened to you in the Sacred Realm, Link?'

"Ganondorf has one of those, right?" Link asked, pulling his hand back as he raised it higher in the air. "Shouldn't we just go to Castle City and kick his butt? We have two, he has only one."

His bold question earned him a funny look from the other two. Zelda tapped one finger at the palm of his raised hand and spoke. "Courage…" Then she turned the back of her hand to him. "Wisdom… Ganondorf holds the Triforce of Power. We can't match him in raw strength, not even you, Link."

"Then?!" Link growled in exasperation.

"With the blessing of the six ancient sages, you will hold the power to face against the King of Evil. We need your Courage to dive inside the five Ancient Temples to awaken the sages, and I will use my Wisdom to guide you forward." She explained patiently. "I can feel it, deep within you. The blessing of the Forest Sage. Something happened inside the Sacred Realm, something that blocks all of us out. Yet when you freed the Temple from its curse, the resident ancient Sage was able to bless you with her strength."

"The forest maiden who guides the wild spirits," Sheik spoke again after a few minutes of silence. "Without knowing, you freed an old friend of yours from the evil curse of the tyrant. It's a shame you two couldn't meet each other one last time."

Looking back at the other blond, Link got a pensive frown on his face. "S-Saria?"

Sheik just nodded in reply.

"She's dead?!" Link almost jumped from his chair, his trembling hands quivering in front of him. As both Sheik and Zelda looked to the side, he fell back to his seat, a glistering glow appearing in the corner of his eyes. "T-That can't be… she…. She was fine. I remember, we spoke right before I walked away from our Kokiri Village."

"That was seven years ago, Hero." Sheik said with a somber tone, his red eyes avoiding the burning gaze of the other boy.

"Every Sage is burdened with something greater than life, Link." The Princess raised her voice with care and a tingle of sadness in her tone. "When they ascend to their rightful place within the Sacred Realm, they must leave our world behind."

"Saria… this is not fair." A soft sniffle escaped the young hero even as he did his best to not cry in front of them. "She was the source of joy for all of us. Even me… when no one else wanted to be my friend, she always stayed with me. We sung together… she taught me so much. Saria didn't deserve to die."

"Sorry, Link." Zelda got up and pulled him into a tight embrace. "I am so sorry…"

They remained close and hugging each other with Link pressing his face against her small shoulder, using her warmth and touch to soothe his aching heart. Right next to them, Sheik is watching his brave hero with a throbbing heart of his own. The young Sheikah has witnessed much grief and pain in this world, but seeing his sunshine and smiles of a person in so much emotional distress; feels almost too much to bear.

Suddenly from the hard earth beneath their feet, a storming quake shook the entire tent. The ground rocked in a violent burst of sound and vibration.

Zelda, Link, and Sheik, all jumped startled at the sudden earthquake, they traded startled glances between one another, surprised and most of all alerted to the emerging sense of danger.

"Y-YOUR HIGHNESS!" One very startled and terrified soldier bursted inside the tent. The poor man so lost in his despair that he forgot the unspoken rule of never stepping inside her quarters with his boots on. "T-TROUBLE! We're under attack!"

A collective gasp escaped all three of them. After years of complete isolation and peace, their haven has been befallen under siege by the forces of evil.

* * *

Leaving in a hurry from the royal quarters, the trio followed after the running soldier. In their haste to assert the ongoing damage in their camp, they didn't even question or asked about the current attack on them. Something a certain Sheikah was quickly to correct as soon as they began to rush to the ongoing commotion.

"Soldier, report!" He commanded with a firm voice, making the armored man stiff in his pose.

"S-Sir! A giant monster came from within the forest." The soldier said back, never once looking back to the red-eyed gaze fixated on him. "Captain Briar's squadron, we were patrolling the area when the creature appears rampaging through. With his orders, the troops managed to prevent any civilian casualty…"

"But?" Zelda asked, making the man jump again.

"I-It's a massacre, your highness." He said with a trembling voice. "That… thing is too big for us. The captain ordered me to run and alert the Princess as soon as it all started. But, by the time I left the area, most of our boys had been wiped out by that monster's giant spear."

Running quietly beside his two companions, Link stared forward to the rising smoke at the other side of camp. He glanced to the trembling man sprinting ahead of them. Slowly a fierce frown took over his expression. From deep within his chest a long-lost pain throbbed at a familiar place. This pain, this familiar sensation longing for attention, demanding for a reaction, urging him to beacon its existence again.

Like the last time this feeling stormed his chest, Link feels the urge to ignore it. To push it aside, to push it back from the dark corner of his being that this thing came from. But a lingering thought flashed in his mind. One name, one person, someone he loved as a dear friend from even his tender age.

'Saria...' As he thought of the smiling green-haired girl, his eyes clenched in painful sorrow. 'She never did anything wrong… she never harmed anyone… Why did she have to die…?'

' _ **It's his fault.'**_

Link's eyes jolted open. The once fading pain in his heart now flaring up in a blazing rage, the once quiet sensation becoming stronger than ever, now this feeling gaining so much free win that it gained a voice; his own voice echoing inside his head.

' _ **He took everything from you again. He destroys. He hurts… Hurt him back.'**_

Where once it felt hard to ignore this urge, it is now impossible. Clenching his teeth and fists, Link glared at the raising smoke, an awful taste crawling from his stomach to his throat.

'Ganondorf…'

Taking his right hand to the handle of the Master Sword, Link pulled the blade from its sheath. Gaining a newfound burst of power, speed, and focus; Link sprinted ahead three times faster than everyone else, quickly disappearing ahead of them.

"Wait, Link!" Sheik called out to the hero, surprised at the sudden reaction of the other blond. However, deep, deep down, he feels slightly afraid of the look of pure anger he saw in a glance in their hero's face.

* * *

Gasping heavily for air, Briar glanced at the scene in front of him. Wounded soldiers, broken trees, and squished tents. The metallic smell of blood floods his nostrils, making him cringe at the notion of his long-time companions and friends have perished at the hands of such a monstrous creature.

Pushing his knee out of the ground, the tired captain pulled himself up again. Raising his weapon forward, he glared at the stomping menace coming his way.

"I know not from where you came, you dark spawn. But I will never allow you to harm the good people of Hyrule. NOT EVEN OVER MY CORPSE." Letting out a fierce battle cry, Briar ignored his best judgment and charged right towards the colossal looking Moblin raising hell in their refuge.

The brown-skinned creature with a pig-face is of impressive stature. Taller than the towering trees surrounding the camp and larger than the bulky towers of Hyrule City Castle. With its sheer size and strength alone, this gigantic Moblin would be able to spread enough chaos and destruction to desolate the place. But with the gargantuan spear in his hand, a weapon with a pole wide enough to look like a tree, it made quick work of the brave soldiers who tried to stop it from destroying this safe haven.

Staring down at the puny Hylian marching at him, the Moblin let out a burst of monstrous laughter. The ghastly sound of his oppressive voice echoing all through the Kokiri Wilds. As in a mocking manner, the giant monster turned his spear upside down and met the brave captain's blade with the wooden part of its spear.

Briar cried in pain as the massive wooden pole clashed against his sword, instantly bashing him back in a harsh way. Crashing in a furious roll against the muddy floor, the Captain coughed blood as his back crashed against a rock formation at the edge of the camp wall.

"We…. will never surrender…" With a burning ache crossing his entire body, Briar reached for his fallen weapon, and slowly began to rise back from the ground. "T-The good people of Hyrule… WILL NEVER SURRENDER TO YOUR MASTER!"

His eyes widen in shock and fear, a sharp breath sucking in from his mouth. Before Briar could gather his bearing and regain even a smaller portion of his strength, the wounded soldier saw the cruel spear flying hungrily towards him.

'I-I… am sorry… Princess.' Closing his eyes, Briar prepared himself for the last painful sensation to crash against his body.

But right then, a heavy sound of metal clashing against metal exploded right in front of Briar, startling his eyes wide open. The young captain could not believe his eyes, right before him between his death by the hand of that monster, stands a blond man with nursing robes.

"H-Hero?!" An unspontaneous smile spread over the Captain's lips. With the reprise the Hero of Time bought him, the raven-haired man safely wobbled away from the monster's range. "Sir, I would be care-"

Before Briar's word could as much reach the blonde's ear, his savior jumped to the side letting the spear pierce the brown ground. The impact of this strike pushing anyone but Link far back away from the Moblin.

Shielding his eyes with one hand, Captain Briar tried to follow the Hero's footsteps but between the rising dust and the wounded men crying in pain beside him; the young officer had to pick his battle and turn to aid his fallen brethren.

Unaware of anyone or anything other than the creature in front of him, Link pushed forward in a feverous zeal. Quickly examining the enormous size of his foe, he proceeded to charge with a sporadic stream of jumps.

Each time the Moblin tried to thrust his weapon at the way smaller fighter in front of him, the blond dodged away to the side in a hurried skip.

There is no grace or calm in Link's movement. He prowls like a wild animal, dodging in a hair distance from the massive metal head raining down upon him at each strike. Yet, in this chaotic movement of his, Link managed to land right next to the giant's leg.

His right arm came swinging down hard and fast, with no thought or consideration, only a pure aggressive sweep of his blade.

One startling and monstrous cry of pain echoed through the entire camp. The Moblin trashed and roared, one hand letting go of the giant pole of his spear, and going down to gushing wound at his exposed brown tight.

This daze, however, was quickly subdued by its ranging fury. Stomping and roaring, the Moblin swung his spear in a half-moon sweep. It raged even further as the blond leaped back and away from the strike.

Growing ever more impatient and hungrier for that warrior's blood, the Moblin jumped forward in a ground smashing leap.

Link successfully jumped back and away from the brunt of the Moblin's dive, but the ground below him quickly gave in to the massive shockwave that spread all around them. Losing his footing and stance, the hero tumbled forward with bare enough reaction to stop his full descent with one free hand.

Beads of sweat drops from his blond locks, a gasp of air he didn't even know he was holding escaping his lips. Then from the corner of his eyes, he saw the mountainous spear-tip flying his way.

His reaction pure instinct, as the monstrous-pig's attack was so close to hitting him square in the chest, Link only had time to raise his sword with both hands and impossibly enough stopped the attack in a clean exchange of strength.

Instantly his right knee fell to the ground, both of his arms trembling against the gargantuan raw power of his opponent's arm.

With a wild growl, the Moblin forced both arms down, pressing the tip of the spear even more against the hero's weapon.

So preoccupied with their battle, neither Link nor the Moblin noticed the ever-increasing gathering of people watching their fight. At each inch the Hero lost in the exchange the more and more gasps and worried whispers flew out in the air.

One arm burning deeply in pain, the other practically numb, the only thing keeping Link from being pierced in two by this spear is the raging fire at the wound in his abdomen. It gives him focus and keeps his mind from wandering into the lullaby of darkness trying to claw his senses into unconsciousness.

' _ **Weak. Pathetic. Failure.'**_ Another voice sounded in his mind, this one carrying as much hatred as the one before, but not remotely using his one tone of voice. This voice, this mockery, is the same as the one he heard in the Forest Temple. _**'Your destiny is to fall. My rule will never end.'**_

"Gh…. I… will…" Growling quietly in anguish and anger, Link tried to raise his shoulder and push his blade forward, but this only forced his other knee down on the floor; making him lose way more ground in their exchange of strength.

' **Destroy it. DESTROY IT ALL!'** The first voice from before shouting its presence back to existence.

' _ **Die!'**_ The second one retaliating with the same intensity.

Between the rage and evil of the two conflicting voices inside his head, Link feels the weight of the entire world pulling him down. As much as he tries to focus, to think of anything other than the ache in his chest, the two voices bring him back. Locking him in place in a spiral of darkening thoughts.

"HERO!" Two thin flying knives swoop the air like a flash, poking and striking at the Moblin's face, making the monster cry loudly in pain yet again.

As small and mild as the knives' wounds proved to be, it forced the monster to relent ever so slightly in its push. This small freckle moment was enough for Link to free some of the weight pushing him down, enough for him to glance towards the voice calling out to him.

There, amid hundreds of conflicted and terrified eyes, he found a pretty red eye looking down at him. In that gaze, he saw worry, anger, but most of all he saw hope.

At this point, it may be his mind playing yet another trick on him as those two voices continue to hammer at his thoughts. Yet, in this small singular moment, he heard a sound coming from behind the Sheikah's mask.

"Link…"

"Egh… Aaarrhhh!" As if he could have done this at any moment at all. Link raised his sword far high and forward, winning their struggle in a single push. Free of the oppression of the Moblin's strength, the Hero pulled himself up and swung his sword at his side.

Exploding to life with a shining golden light, the Master Sword answered its champion's call. Wrapping itself in magic power, the blade sings in a mellow melody of destruction.

Holding the ornate handle of his sword with both hands, Link arched his arms upwards just to then push them down in one fell swoop.

It all ended in one moment. A wave of golden light washed through the Moblin's giant body, cleaving the beast cleanly in half. The evil creature had time only to growl in surprise before the sparkle of life was slashed away from him.

As the beast fell, there was no cheer, nor cries or whispers. Only the echoing sound of two halves of a gigantic body crashing down onto the ground. The stream of gazes who followed the monster's fate slowly changed to the lone figure who still stands in the midst of broken rocks and dirt.

Under the orange-dusk light of the sky, that one young man shines ever so brightly, his face hidden by the casting glow of the setting sun. For this particular moment, he looks like no person at all, no mortal man in eyes of so many. At this exact moment, the refugees of Hyrule could only see a symbol of hope.

In front of their eyes stands the Hero of Time.

* * *


	8. What the Heart Wants

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 8 - What the Heart Wants_ **

* * *

"Ow, Ow, AAARGH! P-Please, I beg you to stop with this madness." A very distressed voice filled the air. Its anguish and pain drowning away any other sound close to its source.

"Shut your trap, boy!" The fiery red-haired doctor yelled at the squirming blond laying on the bed. "Who was the one running out there like a lunatic trying to burst the stitches I so patiently put on him, HUH?" She pulled angrily at the thin medical thread, making it tug very tightly at the bleeding skin.

"I-I-I'm so sorry, doctor Rose." Link pleaded with tears in his eyes. "It won't happen again, ma'am."

"MA'AM?!" She pulled the needle very sharply against the side of his wound, making the poor young man yelp very loudly. "Are you calling me old, brat?"

"No, please! I didn't mean it like that. N-NOOO!"

The pain-filled screams of the poor hero echoed far and wide across the now very busy medical tent. As scary as the head doctor and her antics are, the very ridiculous scene of a woman half the blonde's size fiddling with the Hero of Time draws a light-weighted tone to the otherwise somber mood of the patients present.

In the aftermath of the giant monster's attack, almost one-third of Captain's Briar platoon suffered mild to heavy injuries. However, thanks to the medical staff and mainly the very quick and precise orders of doctor Rose, not a single one of them lost their lives.

A small token of good fortune that came out of this most unfortunate event that will plague the poor citizens of this refuge with dreading nightmares for days to come.

Yet, as reaching as the words of this invasion spread across this haven inside Kokiri Wilds; even more spread are the words of a special blond warrior who felled the giant threat all by himself. While a lot of people got to experience the haunting battle with their own eyes, the majority of people living here were far away and safe from it all.

This fact combined with the ever-enlarging gossips of the Hero of Time's feat created a chaotic uproar throughout the free people of Hyrule. Citizens, soldiers, and even some of the high-ranking officers came pouring toward the medical ward, some wandering to the Princess' quarters, all in hopes of seeing or even more to speak with this legendary guardian sent by the Goddesses.

Captain Briar promptly and gladly offered his services and his men to the most urgent task of keeping this mass of faithful Hylians from overwhelming the wounded hero and the wounded soldiers resting inside the large tent.

However, despite the good Captain's best efforts to keep this mess away from the sick, he is unable to stop the overwhelming sounds of voices from pouring in from the curious people outside.

"Jeez… the moon is almost setting and these people won't shut up." Complained one soldier lying on a bed with one of his arms wrapped in heavy bandages.

"Come on now, you can't blame them. Anyone would be ecstatic to meet the hero they waited years for." Said a female soldier with a broken leg resting in a bed next to her companion. "Just try to zone their voices out. It gets easier with time."

"Yeah… don't see that happening." Replied the exasperated man, taking his pillow and pressing it against his ears.

In the now private area at the back of the make-shift hospital, Rose finished her masterful work with the wounds Link managed to open in his earlier fight. Taking out her gloves and wiping away the reaming spots of blood from her hands, she watches as the blond young man curls in his bed with a whimpering voice.

A secret little smile tugging at the side of her lips. "Suck it up, kid. You managed to beat a giant monster pig; you can't easily take a few pokes of a needle at your side."

One very dissatisfied grunt flew from the blond, his blue eyes shooting towards the small red-haired woman in indignation. "Please send two more of those Moblins my way. I totally prefer that to these sessions in here."

Rose let out a hearty and loud laugh. "Go right ahead, brat. After two more of those things and you will be right back here… with… me."

Pressing his face against his pillow, Link let out a muffled cry of panic. Even if the doctor is a miracle worker, she is way too sadistic in her methods for his taste.

"Doctor Rose!" One of the junior medics called out to their superior, one very thick mount of papers in their hands.

"It appears the rest of this place needs my attention," Rose said to Link, giving him a look that he can't decide if it's playful or pure evil. "Lucky you, mister hero-brat."

"Don't let me hold you here then." As soon as Link replied, he deeply regretted his boundless bravery.

Furrowing her eyebrows at the mouthful blond, Rose raised her operating knife in the air and pointed at him. As he squirmed and yelped quietly in panic, she chuckled and waved one hand at him as she walked away.

"She really took a liking to you." One very calm and quiet voice sounded from behind the curtain in the left, the suddenness of it making Link jump startled that someone was standing so close and he hadn't noticed. "Doctor Rose usually never jests with the people she cuts open." The slim silhouette behind the white fabric chuckled quietly. "She isn't a people person, as you may have noticed."

Taking a few steps forward, Sheik stepped away from his cover, dressed fully in his Sheikah attire.

As soon as his eyes landed at the red-eyed blond, Link's lips parted into a warm flourished smile, his blue eyes searching every detail of the lean young Sheikah.

"How are you feeling, Hero?" Sheik asked, his tone gentle but firm.

"Feeling like a giant Moblin tried to squish me." Link jested with a bright grin.

"That's not funny… You almost died that way." Tried as hard as he wanted, Sheik couldn't find in himself to frown or to get mad at the stupid little joke, his uneasiness swiftly melting away in front of those big blue eyes. "Really, how are you feeling?"

Then the spark of playfulness faded from Link's face. Trailing his gaze to the side, he laid down in his bed and sighed. "I'm fine… I guess. Thanks to the painful hour under doctor Rose's care, my wound is closed again. My body feels heavy, slow… as if we are underwater."

Sidestepping the small table with medical tools inside the little booth, Sheik walked right next to Link's bed, taking a seat right at the edge of the mattress. "That ought to be normal. As every person in camp likes to remind everyone, you went toe to toe against a giant creature. Fatigue would be the most expected outcome."

As they shared a modest laugh with each other, the two blond young men fell into a peaceful silence. Blue meets red in their trade of glances. Between the stoic secretive Sheikah and the aloof inexperienced Hero, they shared a lot more in this moment of quietness than any other words ever could.

In this mutual understanding, Sheik felt brave enough to move his right hand on top of the Hero's one lying above the white sheets.

Sheik never opens up to people, with words or emotions. Spare for Zelda and his aunt when he was very young, he has shared very little physical contact with people. For him, to touch another person so casually, so freely. It scares him.

As this thought crosses his mind, he mentally snorts.

'A highly skilled and trained warrior, scared of touching someone's hand. How ridiculous does that sound?'

"Sheik…" Link calls to him. His voice mellow, sweet, and shy.

Those needy blue eyes looking right at him… It broke Sheik's walls on so many levels. But in doing so, made his mind cry ever so loudly in panic. One moment of negligence and his gaze was trailing down to the handsome curves of Link's lips.

One little inch his head leaned forward and Sheik jumped out of the bed with an alarmed look on his face.

'What am I thinking? What am I doing?' His visible red eyes glancing everywhere except to the very disturbed Link staring at him. 'This is wrong… I shouldn't… not for the Hero… not for him…'

Doing a sharp turn to the left, Sheik took a hard step forward, his focus already set in getting away from here as fast as he could. However, before he could take a second step forward, Link grabbed his arm and held him there.

"Sheik?" He asked slightly confused at the sudden change.

"I-It is late…" Sheik stuttered out awkwardly, not daring to look back into those pleading blue eyes. "You should rest, Hero. You'll have a long day before you tomorrow."

"Thank you…"

For everything Sheik expected to hear right now; confusion, accusation, frustration… Nothing came even close to what Link said to him. Instantly the red-eyed blond turned to glance at the blond hero, who is now staring down at his own legs.

"I don't recall doing anything that warrants such words, Hero." Sheik said back with a faint smile. "It is you who deserves our appreciation for saving so many lives."

"And you saved mine." Link's shy comment made the young Sheikah quirk an eyebrow at him. "When the Moblin had me pinned down against the ground. I… A lot was going inside my head. A chaotic mess I couldn't escape. It would take only just one more moment in there and I would've lost… my mind and my life."

Disturbed by the sudden revelation, Sheik felt like a dozen questions popping into his mind. His inquiry, however, disappeared when Link moved his hand lower and wrapped his calloused fingers inside the other boy's hand.

"Right then, when everything looked so dark and twisted. I heard your voice." He looked up once more, a glistering glow in his eyes threatening to turn into a stream of tears. "Your voice brought me back. Hearing you calling out for me. It gave me the strength to fight on. So… Thank you."

Silence…

All that followed Link's declaration was a long and loaded sense of quietness. However, as still and calm as Sheik looks on the outside, his chest is exploding with a rush of feelings he cannot explain.

It took all his self-control and paranoic fear of physical intimacy with others, for him to not jump at Link and pull the other blond into a tight embrace.

Even then, even when his mind screams at him to leave before he can do something harmful to both of them. Sheik's heart yelled even louder for him to step back in and take a chance with something so ridiculously fated to fail.

His left hand wandered forward, taking a gander at the warmth of Link's right cheek. As the other boy leaned to the side, pressing his face even more against the caressing touch of Sheik's bandaged fingers. It felt like true bliss, his heart melting in a way he never felt before.

"L-Link…" The hero's name tasted like honey as they slipped bast Sheik's lips. Lips those that trembled in expectation, in logging.

Staring at the blond standing next to his bed, Link also feels this desperate urge clawing at his chest. It pleads loudly for him to do something, for him to reach up and take on the promise of something beautiful. However, as much as he inches forward and as much as his grip on Sheik's hand tightens, he has no idea how to follow.

The look in the hero's eyes is unmistakable, especially so to Sheik's observing gaze. It frightens him to no end to know that this feeling is mutual, this wanting is consensual and shared between the two of them.

Still, even with all his reservations, Sheik did the unthinkable.

Sitting shyly on Link's lap, he gently tugged the top of his mask with one finger and pulled it down, revealing his face in its entirety to the Hero again.

Link's eyes widened in surprise as a warm sensation prickled at his lips, a sweet taste overflowing his mouth. His eyes closing on their own, the young hero allowed himself to be washed away by the duet of sounds coming from his and Sheik's hearts, beating fast and in unison as if they were the same.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Sheik quickly jumped to his feet, startled by the sudden yell flying from within the tent. In a clumsy hurry, he pulled his mask back on. The furious red tint crossing his cheeks, however, was not as easily hidden away.

In the midst of the sudden commotion, came a flurry of stomping steps. A chubby older woman, with hazy grey hair, appeared from behind the curtains. Her soggy eyes all red from the heavy tears they probably shed.

"O-Oh… Heeeroo!" The small-statured granny launching herself against the southern edge of Link's bed. "I beg of you, Hero. Please, save my boy. You have to save my boy."

A pair of distressed soldiers came right after the woman, they flinching a bit after seeing the other blond that is keeping company to their famous savior.

"Sir, we are so sorry for this inconvenience." The brunet female soldier said in a wobbly salute.

"Come on old bat, you shouldn't bother the hero." Puffed the second soldier, handily grabbing the woman by the arms as she began to flail around desperately.

"Release me, you brute." She spat angrily. "Hero!" She glanced at Link in full desperation. "You are our gift from the Goddesses. Please, help me too."

Very disturbed by the scene in front of him, Link raised one hand to address the woman. But before he could say anything. Sheik raised his voice first.

"The Hero of Time is meant to destroy the evil plaguing Hyrule. He is not here to play errand boy to each distressed citizen he sees."

Infuriated by the remarks of the Sheikah, the old woman struggled even harder just to point one finger at him and then hiss. "I know of your kind, you freak." She spat in full venom. "You Sheikahs are the plague that keeps desolating our people."

As used as he is to this type of baseless accusations, Sheik felt a deep sense of infuriation raising in his chest. He doesn't mind being the target of such scorn, but not in front of Link.

"Enough of that, you." Growled the soldier tugging the woman back. "You better stop this or I will throw you in the bin for the night." Looking at his fellow soldier, he nodded to her to help him restrain the screaming woman.

Even as the soldiers dragged her away, the woman's glare never left Sheik's face. "You stay away from our light, Sheikah demon. Don't you dare corrupt our sacred Hero!"

Slowly her heated voice faded away behind the sea of murmurs coming from outside. Then, rushing right back in, one of the two soldiers popped from behind the curtains and bowed his head in apology.

"Hero! We're deeply sorry for the scene that woman caused." His tongue almost twisted with how fast he spoke. "In a moment of negligence, she managed to slip inside."

"N-No… don't worry about it." Link replied meekly, much to the man's surprise. This humble young man in front of him looking very different from the imposing legend people are making in their minds. "But… She said something about her son. That I should help him."

"Hero..." Sheik said quietly, his gaze stern in its warning.

"Sir…" The soldier glanced from side to side, then sighed. "Her son died years ago. He was a soldier on the field at the battle for Zora's Domain… Like many others, he didn't make back."

A wave of gloom washed over Link's expression as he glanced down to his sheets again. "Then… how could I help him? I can't bring people back from the dead."

Sheik stared at the hero as he curled against his knees and frowned. The Sheikah mentally cursing the audacity of that woman. "People are stupid, Hero." He said coldly. "Takes little to no time for them to start spreading ridiculous gossips, even more so when it is about you. After your battle against such a monstrous enemy, these gossips will only get worse."

"We will try our best to dissuade the crowd away from here. At the very least, we will keep anyone else from barging in." Saluting to the pair of blonds one more time, the soldier turned to the side and marched out to the entrance, leaving Sheik and Link alone in the wake of the previous loud scene.

"Sheik…" Link looked at the other blond, a small glimpse of confusion showing in his big blue eyes.

It is clear the reason for that look. The reason why Link is reaching with one hand towards Sheik yet again. However, after the shock of his interruption, the Sheikah has full control of his emotions once more. His rational side strong and in control, pushing him to walk forward and glance away from the other blond.

"Rest now… tomorrow we leave at the first ray of sunlight." Walking in stride, Sheik felt a real painful tug in his chest for rejecting his hero so firmly, but his mind tells him that this is the right thing to do. "Link…" He stopped next to the white fabric, giving one last glance to Link and his charming azure gaze. "Sleep well…"

Link smiled and nodded, his gaze softening a lot more from the tension they wore before. "You too, Sheik."

* * *

Flipping through pages at a leisure pace, Zelda finds herself unable to sleep due to the ongoing chorus of voices singing in a religious lullaby just outside her royal tent. Even if her eyes are heavy and clouded by dark circles, the poor Princes is stuck in her living room with a stack of reports worth a whole week of reading.

However, even if her head aches with a mild migraine, she can't find in her heart to be upset with her subjects. They have now an outlet to vent years of suppressed cries of hope, countless chantings that never had reason to exist before.

Still, she would not mind if they would take at least the night in respite as to not trouble the injured people recovering from the monster's attack.

Letting out a long sigh of exhaustion, she flips through yet more pages. Her eyes barely registering the words written on the brownish paper.

As the Princess laid the stack of papers on the small table in front of her, a long thud echoed from the front door, startling her up to her feet.

"Sheik?" She asked with a bit o caution, slowly stepped toward the entryway. One step past the colorful clothing serving as her walls, she noticed a familiar form curling against the footwear resting area. "Sheik?! What happened?" Abandoning her slow steps, the princess rushed to her little brother's side, surprised to see him looking so sad and defeated. "Talk with me… did someone mistreat you?" She pulled him into a tight embrace, frowning at the sight of his trembling shoulders.

Burying his face even further into his legs, Sheik snorted and shook his head. "Their words do not affect me anymore… They ceased to matter a long time ago."

"Then?!" Zelda asked louder than she intended, her voice making him flinch ever so slightly.

"I-I am so stupid, Zel…" Sheik said with a weak voice, a very rare sob echoing with his words. "So, so stupid! There should be a limit to how foolish someone can be."

Growing more concerned by the second, Zelda reached in with her hands and forced Sheik to look at her. Her heart hurting at the sight of a glistening tear showing in his red eye. "Care to tell your big sister the reason for such words? You're scaring me, Sheik. I've never seen you so distressed before."

Biting his lower lip in frustration, Sheik fought with Zelda's gentle hands to try and look away. "K-Kiss… him…" He muttered very quietly.

"Pardon, I couldn't hear you." Pressing one finger to the bandages protecting his forehead, she gave him a smile with loving care. "Just push the words out. You can do it."

Sheik's eye seemed to glow even more as if tears were ready to slip from his sturdy-hard shell of a personality. Now, using his hands to gently pull her hands away from his face, he glanced down and sighed. "The Hero… I-I kissed him."

His words practically echoed in the silence that followed them. As a few moments passed, he grew worried and glanced upward to see Zelda's reaction. Her face a still image of surprise, her eyes not giving a hint of what is going on inside her head.

"Zel…" He pleaded, the silence killing him.

A stream of good-natured laughter bursted from the Princess's lips, her reaction making the poor Sheikah jump in his spot. "You two kissed?" She asked with a pint of teasing. "My little brother is a charmer, that's for sure. Why are you so gloomy when things couldn't be better? How did that happen? Did he kiss you back? Hurry, hurry, tell me everything."

His pale face turned into a bright shade of pink. 'I should've known this would be her reaction.' Sheik cursed his carelessness in a mental note.

"Everything couldn't be worse, not better." He said with a saddened frown. "Link… he needs all the support he can muster to face Ganondorf. His task is so monumental, so crucial… And I almost jeopardized it all because of my stupid feelings."

"How so?" Zelda asked back. "How being loved by someone can harm his path?"

"Really?" Sheik looked up to the Princess again, one even worse frown on his face. "If the people outside knew of this… they would cast him away. Let's put aside the fact that we are two men, which most Hylian will never accept, they would chastise him for involving himself with a Sheikah… They would hate him, just the way they hate me."

"To hell with those people." Zelda growled very angrily, her blue eyes flaming with ire for how her subjects treat one of the most important persons in her life in such an awful way. "Sheik…" Her voice mellowing down again as she kneeled next to him again, taking both of his hands on hers. "You've given up so much for Hyrule already… You have sacrificed so much for me… No one else in this world deserves to be happy more than you. If your heart feels that Link is your happiness, nothing else should matter."

"Don't do this, Zel… don't make me hope for something that will never work, that should not exist."

"Silly Sheik." Zelda pulled him into a hug again, this time pulling his mask and turban away to look properly at his beautiful face. "I only want what is best for you. Always…"

Feeling protected at the arms of the person he swore to protect, Sheik gave in to the warmth of Zelda's arms. Letting go of the anxiety threatening to rip his chest open, he leaned against her embrace.

"Thank you, Zel… Even if I shouldn't… I mustn't… Your words still mean the world to me."

She smiled and patted his head. "That's what sisters are for." Then pushing him back, Zelda looked at Sheik with a very suspicious grin on her lips. "Now… details!"

Poor Sheik grimaced after recognizing that look in her eyes. 'What in the Goddesses' name have I done?'

There will not be sleep for the Sheikah until he shares every single thing about his little moment with his oblivious, and by now sleeping, Hero.

* * *


	9. A New Member

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 9 - A New Member_ **

* * *

"Link, it pains my heart to be sending you off in such a hurry…" Zelda began, looking teary-eyed to the young blond man standing in front of her.

"Oh, I get it." Link replied with a simple grin. "Things are hard and you guys waited for long enough." The Hero back on a pristine-looking Kokiri Tunic, courtesy of doctor Rose and her fantastic skills with needles.

"Indeed, we have…" Zelda said sadly. Her gaze then switched from the green-clad warrior to the quiet Sheikah standing at his side. "Are you sure about this, Sheik?" She asked her little brother, still surprised by his decision.

"Someone has to keep the Hero focused on what is at stake," Sheik said very neutrally, despite the huge grin hidden behind his mask. "Left by his own devices, I am sure he would stop to aid any straight cat he finds in his path."

"Hey!" A loud cry was the Hero's reply to such slander.

Taking advantage of the quiet and peace of the earliest hour of the morning. Zelda prepared the leave for the two of them at the edge of the camp, with only the trio being present in this small send-off. A detail that Sheik complained fairly heavily to his sister, insisting that she should not walk around without at least a squad of soldiers to protect her.

Complains that the Princess so graciously disregarded with her 'Sheik-infuriating' pure smile.

"Link, I want to give you something." Rising the brown bag resting next to her right leg, Zelda unpacked the rather heavy object and presented it to the blue-eyed blond. "Here, the symbol of Hyrule's vanguard. The Hylian Shield."

Taking the Shield with his left and, Link promptly equipped it in place; Casually pressing the hold of the small girdle against his arm. "Before I took the Master Sword, I used to have a small Kokiri Shield… this brings a lot of memories." With a single moment of somber reminiscence, his features quickly changed to one of pure jovial joy. "Thanks, Princess."

"It's a gift for you and everyone else too." She said with a giggle, making the Hero quirk an eyebrow at her. "That way you will get stabbed a lot less."

"I don't get stabbed that frequently…" He grumbled in response.

"Don't complain, Hero." Sheik's amusement is very apparent in his tone. "Easier to block blows with a shield than a sword, no?"

After less than a day in the company of the pair of surrogated siblings, Link already knows very well when he is about to be the target of a constant wave of teasing. "Yeah, yeah… You two go at it. I've important things to do…" Detaching the shield from his arm, Link placed his new equipment together with his sword at his back and reached to the heavy bag of supplies sitting on the ground.

Puffing air from his nostrils, the annoyed Hero stomped away from the other two, a lukewarm frown taking over his expression.

"Isn't he a cutie pie?" Zelda giggled, a caring look showing in her eyes.

After a spare moment of silence, Sheik relented and chuckled. "He sure is."

"Have you given any more thought to what we spoke about last night?" The princess's words never more direct in their intent.

Letting out a tired sigh, the young Sheikah glanced to her and spoke. "I won't pursue any romantic approach towards the Hero."

"Sheik…" Zelda's exasperation elevating to a new level at her little brother's stubbornness.

"However…" He continued. "I will not ignore my feelings anymore. If… I say If, anything is to happen… there won't be any resistance from me."

After giving Sheik an odd look, Zelda shook her head as a peal of easygoing laughter escaped her lips. "It can't be more like Sheik, than doing everything in a hard way just to save some face."

"I am NOT-" As the Sheikah prepared himself to launch a tirade in defense of his ego, a pair o delicate hands grabbed him by the waist and pulled him into a very tight and loving embrace.

"Please… be careful out there," Zelda said with a gentle yet sad little voice. "And take care of Link. Don't let anyone else take advantage of his innocent soul."

Wrapping his arms around the smaller body of his sister, Sheik closed his eyes and replied calmly. "I will… everything depends on this one journey. Nothing will keep the Hero from fulfilling his destiny, I will make sure of it."

Growing agitated by the tardiness of his companion, one very energic Link began to wave his arms in the air as he cried out for the other blond. "Oooiiii! Sheik, are we going or not?"

The Princess and her Shadow Guardian shared a laugh at their hero's antics, with Zelda being the first to pull away from their farewell hug.

"Seems like our hero is ready to start his adventure anew." She said in a bit of jest. "Better not to keep him waiting."

"It seems like so." Replied the red-eyed blond. Taking one last glance at the girl he grew up with, Sheik pated her on the head and turned to leave. As his eyes landed at the jumping blond way ahead of him, he saw Link return his gaze with a bright inviting smile.

Right then, the poor Sheikah felt the poke of a phantom needle right in his chest. 'One day that smile will be the end of me...'

* * *

Defying the common sense of any surviving person outside of the Evil Tyrant's allies, a group of very ill-equipped scholars has chosen to light a fire and make camp right in the middle of a clearing close to the mountainous area around Kakariko town.

Seemly without worry or care in the world, this group is sharing idle chat and discussing the few discoveries of their expedition.

To put it correctly, the three senior members of the group are casually enjoying a bowl of hot soup by the fire; while the youngest of them is struggling with their heavy equipment; mainly stacks and stacks of scrolls and other types of writing materials.

"Master… is this really necessary?" The boy, barely old enough to be called a young man, cried out with a grunt.

"But of course my boy, everything in here is necessary. Even the menial task of carrying the luggage is monumental in the grand scheme of things. For our job is the most important job of them all." The man with a giant bald spot on the center of his head sung into the air, the sunlight shining at the pristine center around his crown of hair. "Now, hush-hush. We are discussing a much more important matter than your unsouring chirps."

Watching the pompous man disregard him with a wave of a hand makes the boy boil in a foul temper. 'Acting all high and mighty. So smart and cultured… Yet the bunch of idiots made camp right in the middle of an open field.' A stream of thoughts crossed the boy's mind, one that involves them and a bunch of dark horsemen patrolling the area.

Before he could even cringe at the awful prospect of being found by Ganondorf's lackeys, a cloud of dust raised from behind the bridge far to the left.

"M-M-Master!" The boy's distressed voice echoed long and clear, much to the dissatisfaction of his elders.

"What is it, Vahn?!" Shouted one of the other scholars. "Can't you see how important this…" His dried voice died in his throat, the now terrified older man gaping at the sight of the rapidly approaching company of horsemen riding their way. "By the Goddesses' tears, they found us!"

Vahn, the young man studying under these 'brilliant minds' snarled at the stupidity of that comment. 'Of course they found us! Look where we are!' He wanted to scream at their faces, but his voice disappeared together with the strength of his legs.

Soon enough, the cloud of dust arrived upon them. Heavy sounds of metal boots crashing against the ground sounded off around them, perfectly in sync in a circle. Right then, the man with the meaner look to his eyes drew his sword and pointed to the group of defenseless men.

"Well, would you look at this. The warlock was right in his prediction." He said giving a quick look at each and every face of his victims. "Never expected that our elusive group of shithead book worms would so boldly announce their position with an open campfire."

Bravely taking a step forward, the balding scholar raised his trembling hands and addressed the brigand. "W-We are of no threat to you…." He spoke with barely stable words. "Only a group of lowly scholars, trying to preserve the history of this beautiful country."

Scowling deeply at the stupidity of this man trembling like a green twig, the leader of the horsemen raised his weapon and bashed the dull side of his sword against the man's face. The poor old man cried in pain as a small gush opened in his wrinkled cheek.

"Preserve my ass, you shithead." The menacing man threatened to repeat his strike, making his victim cry out in fear. "We know exactly what your group of sissies is doing out here. And while I couldn't give a fuck about your books and stupid bull… Lord Ganondorf has ordered us to take over that Goron's lair."

Taking a cue from their leader as he approached the man lying on the grass, the other horsemen marched forward, circling each member of the scholar's band.

Hoisting his sword in its sheath, the commanding officer of these dark knights, grabbed the older man by the collar of his robes and raised him to the level of his evil-looking eyes.

"No need to play games now, old fart." He growled in a warning. "Would advise you fucks to not test my limited patience, or I will be forced to dirt my blade. You get my meaning?"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir…." The old man stuttered back.

A cruel smile spread over the knight's cracked lips. "Good stuff, very good. Now…" He raised the man even higher and then tossed him face flat against the grass. "Tell us where in the blazing hells is this secret path to climb the Death Mountain. No bullshit or you know the drill."

* * *

"You know… I am glad you chose to come with me." Link said shyly, giving a side glance to the blond walking beside him.

Even as his heart skipped a beat, Sheik did his best to remain cool and collected, giving only a curious look to his companion. "Is that so?" He said back.

"I… never traveled alone. Before, way back when I was a kid, Navi was my company in the long journeys." His words trailed up a bit longer than usual, carrying a bit of melancholy from his little fairy friend's passing. "Knowing that I will have someone I can trust watching my back… it makes it more bearable."

Having no right words to reply that would not break his shell of stern neutrality, Sheik decided to just stay quiet and keep moving forward. And they continued traveling in this silence for long few minutes, only the sounds of the birds and rustling of leaves gracing their ears.

Yet, being who he is, Link is unable to stay quiet for so long. Working his mind very hard to find a way to get the other blond talking again, he jumped and turned to look at Sheik as an idea popped in his head.

"You know, when Navi and I first started our friendship, we decided to play a game to get to know each other better." His face radiating with excitement.

Watching the summer look on the Hero's face, Sheik turned to face him properly and asked. "What kind of game would that be?"

One very large smile crossed Link's lips at that reply. "Little truths. We would ask small things about each other, nothing too serious. That way we could start to understand one another without making anything awkward."

"That sounds… rather interesting." Sheik decided to humor the Hero's proposition, already knowing he would suggest it after sharing this bit of his past. "Since you are the one who knows this game, would you like to start?"

"Sure." The Hero beamed happily, tossing both arms behind his head as he continued walking beside the Sheikah. "So… what is your favorite color?" Link started with the same question Navi asked him years before.

Looking directly at the sight he loves the most, Sheik smiled under his mask and replied. "Blue… definitely blue." Seeing the expecting look on the Hero's face, Sheik proceeded to take his turn. "What about you, Hero? Which color would be yours?"

The goofiest grin Sheik has ever seen appeared on the other blonde's face. "Green." Link proclaimed very proudly, humming happily as he drifted his attention to the edge of Kokiri wilds right ahead of them.

'Of course it would be green…' If this was any other person, Sheik would have face-palmed and called the individual a simpleminded buffoon. But coming from Link, he can only find his answer endearing.

"Your turn." Link chirped.

Sheik thought for a moment, little bits of curiosities coming to his mind, but some of them too grand and personal to ask in an inconsequential game of 'Little Truths.'.

Watching the other blond skip and hop above the growing roots escaping from the grassy ground, his gaze drifted to the bouncing green thing resting on top of the Hero's head. "My question is about the hat."

Link glanced back to the blond Sheikah. "What about it?"

"Don't you find it kinda… silly?" Sheik phrased as gently as he could.

Moving his right hand in a protective instinct to his beloved hat, Link shoots his friend a light weighted frown. "Know what Sheik… you're terrible at this game." One very faint pink line crosses his cheeks, the small chuckles coming from the other boy not helping the state of his face at all. "I love my hat…" Link grumbled quietly.

"My apologies, Hero. It was not my intent to offend you… or your beloved headwear." Sheik tried to appease the other blond, which worked surprisingly well considering that Link quickly glanced back and smiled at him. "We still playing?"

Finally reaching the edge of the cliff down to Hyrule Field, Link turned fully toward Sheik and punched right up in the air. "You bet!" He then clenched his hold in the heavy bag resting in his hand and did a most impressive backflip onto the orange ground far down below.

"Tsk, tsk… This is one game you cannot beat me, Hero." With a large grin pressing against his mask, Sheik felt a little hush pumping in his chest.

'If you want to try and show off…'

With a nimble leap, the young Sheikah disappeared above the tree lines, moving like a blur right after his green-wearing friend.

* * *

"Your Highness!" Briar's booming voice sounded off as soon as he entered the Princess's tent. As soon as his liege entered the entry hall, the raven-haired captain saluted her and presented a small stack of papers. "The report you requested."

Graciously accepting the package from the young captain, Zelda eyed the man's exhausted-looking face and sighed. "There was no need to hand these so early. Have you slept yet?"

"N-No, your Highness…"

"Captain, we talked about this already." She began with a reprimanding tone.

"My sincere apologies, Lady Zelda. But it would be impossible to rest with all that commotion right next to my quarters." Explained the soldier, and the Princess nodded in understanding.

The poor Captain was one of the unlucky few to have their sleeping tents right next to the medical ward, or better put, directly where the mass of people spent the entire night chanting and crying.

"Last night was a wild one, wasn't it?" She jested lightly trying to brighten the mood. "Come, let me treat you to a cup of tea." She turned around and waved one hand to the startled Captain, who instantly froze at her invitation.

"M-My Princess… I wouldn't want to impose on you." He said in a mild panic.

"Well, you are not." Her reply came with a soft smile. "I insist, Captain."

'General Val is going to kill me…' Briar instinctively pulled at the collar of his shirt. The last time he afforded any non-strictly professional time with their Royal Princess, the stern red-haired general grilled him for an entire week for his insolence.

"Captain," Zelda called out to the stiff-looking man, making him jump. "Don't forget to take out your boots."

Briar just stared as the blond woman disappeared within her tent, a drop of cold sweat running down his forehead. 'P-Please Goddesses… Help me keep this one a secret.'

Taking out his footwear as ordered by the Princess, Briar stepped inside just to find her sitting in front of a vacant chair close to a pair of steaming cups resting on the small table. Doing his best to stay composed but at the same time fretting like crazy over his situation.

With his joints stiff with jitters, the young captain took his seat on the fancy chair. Keeping his gaze forward and neutral, he is resting his hands on his lap, as if he was a wooden down put to pose in a chair just to muse for a painter.

"Relax, Captain Briar," Zelda said with a giggle. "General Val is still days away from returning to camp. I won't tell him if you don't." She gave him a playful wink as she reached for one of the cups, her little joke almost making the black-haired soldier jump from his seat and run as fast as he can away from here. "Okay… I will stop the teasing. You can relax now."

Briar heavily doubted that comment. The Princess is almost infamous for her playful persona and how she likes to tease and jest with anyone.

Deciding to focus on what would get him out of this situation faster, Briar's eyes shifted to the stack of paper resting on the table. "Your Highness, it warms my heart to inform you that most of the soldiers harmed by the monster's attack are safe from any life-threatening injuries. Within a week or two we will be back into fighting shape."

"That's wonderful." She replied with a sincere smile. "After so many years hiding safely in this refuge we built… Feels quite like the shock to have a monster of that size attacking us here."

"One unsettling event that's for sure." Briar concurred with a troubled frown. "I don't even want to imagine what would transpire yesterday if not for the Hero's interference."

A brighter smile hugs Zelda's lips at the mention of Link. The young Captain noticed the sudden change in his princess's expression and aura, making him raise an eyebrow in slight concern.

"What is your opinion, Captain?" Zelda asked openly. "Now that you have met Link. Now that you have seen him. What do you make of our last hope?"

This question makes Briar zone out from his nervousness. A more normal and relaxed expression taking over his face. Finally reaching for his cup of tea, the young soldier closed his eyes in deep thought.

"I won't lie to you, Your Highness. At first, I didn't think much of the Hero." He said firmly, his eyes still closed. "Even if he is almost as tall as me, his eyes are the eyes of a boy. Untainted by the horrors of war, no traces of someone capable of killing another person." Briar sighed heavily, his eyes finally opening up to show a look of sadness to them. "He will never make it in this war… that was my first thought."

Zelda heard her captain's words with a slight frown on her face, yet a likeminded feeling plagued her thoughts in her second reunion with Link. "Then… what changed?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

Staring at the Princess for a few moments, Briar placed his cup down and folded his arms against his chest. "It was not his display of power against that monster." He explained. "Sure, I never met anyone capable of winning in close combat and raw strength against a creature of such size." A glint of sorrowful pity flashed in his eyes, it was quick and hastily pushed aside, but Zelda didn't miss it. "Right before the Hero won, when he was pinned down to the ground. The look in his eyes… It felt like he carried the pain of the entire world on his shoulders. Princess… I only saw eyes like that in one other person."

Taking in fully the captain's words, Zelda closed her eyes and raised one hand. "Please… don't." She said quietly, even a little angry. "That will be all for now, Captain."

"O-Of course, Your Highness!" Briar quickly jumped to his feet, taking a respectful bow in front of his liege. However, before he turned to leave, he raised his head and spoke. "I had no intention to offend. I beg for forgiveness if I did in any shape or form."

Seeing the mild panic in the man's eyes, Zelda raised a hand and smiled at him. "You didn't offend me, Captain. But there are some things better left unspoken."

Briar nodded his head and then bowed fully again before he turned away to take his leave.

Left alone in the silence of her living room, Zelda presses both hands against her cup. Looking down at the waves rocking on the light brown liquid, she bites her lips to suppress the vile taste rising from her throat. 'You will keep him safe from the darkness consuming Hyrule, right… Sheik?'

* * *

'It's been so long…' Holding one hand, clenched tight into a fist, close to his chest. Sheik feels slightly overwhelmed to finally stand in the steps leading to his home town. His ruby eye watched with patient detail every little aspect of the now unkept masonry-work serving as the entrance to Kakariko.

'Even the mossy stones sticking out from the wall feels nostalgic.' He thought as he slides his other hand at the damp-feeling rock formation.

"You know… It feels so weird to come back here…" Link voiced his thoughts, the blond strangely distant from the stairs, standing as far away as he could without falling in the small water channel. "Do we have to go in?"

Sheik looked back to the other blond, considering the ever so sincere request of his companion. Then his gaze drifted to the orange sun setting far back in the distance. "Afraid so, Hero. We'll have to spend the night in Kakariko before continuing our way up the Death Mountain."

Link frowned deeply, but despite his attempt to appear serious and rigid, his stomach growled very loudly; just to make him blush. "Can we have a little lunch break at least?"

"Don't be silly, Link. We are just about to enter Kakariko. Surely you could hold on a little longer until we-" Sheik was promptly interrupted by another growl echoing from the Hero's hungry belly.

Right then, Link's head shot to the left.

'Sniff, sniff, sniff…'

His nose began trailing in a certain way, his eyes focusing on the plain field behind him. "You smelt that?" Sheik looked at him funny but shook his head. "It's almost…" 'Sniff… sniff…' "Oh shoot, that's sun-dried meat!"

Leaving no room for questions or any words at all for the Sheikah to say to him, Link dropped his heavy bag in the tall grass and bolted fairly fast towards one of the hills upwards the stream leading to Hyrule's capital.

Mouth wide open and confusion spread over his face, Sheik just watched as his companion disappeared behind that mount of dirt and grass. Two fingers quickly shooting to massage the bridge of his nose. "He can't be real…" As much as he tried to sound irritated, the small smile on his lips made his voice come out much more friendly than that.

Following in the steps of his energetic hero, Sheik walked over towards the slightly tall hill at a leisurely pace. However, this laid-back attitude of him quickly dwindled to nothingness, as he reached the top and saw Link currently glued to the grass, his face ever so slightly raised to peek at the ground below just ahead.

"Something amiss?" Sheik asked as he joined Link on the grass.

"Look… down there…" Link replied in a hushed tone, pointing with a nod to the messy camp below.

He nodded and followed the hero's gaze. Right then he found the target of the blonde's attention.

A small group of four heavily armored knights, adorned with dark garbs and even darker armors, are gathered around the barely lit campfire in the middle of the clearing.

Sheik would recognize that blasted insignia resting in their armor's chest anywhere. The mark of Ganondorf's evil army.

"What is that filth doing here…" Sheik snarled. For some reason he thought of the cruel men that so mercilessly terrorizes Hyrule, now taking a good lazy time to share stories in a campfire; It infuriates him.

"They have someone with them… a hostage?" Link asked, still whispering. "There, by the boxes to their left."

Sure enough, Sheik quickly found an unconscious form lying awkwardly next to the pile of broken boxes and shred scrolls. One glance at the young man next to him and Sheik knew very well that Link would never let this situation stand. Even if trying to rescue a stranger could put their entire mission at risk, not to mention said hero's life.

Pressing one firm but reassuring hand at the hero's right arm, Sheik pulled the blond back to where they could stand without being seeing. "We should split and try to pincer them." He proposed promptly, surprised that the Hero simply stared at him paying full attention. "My skills are better suited to stealth and subterfuge." Also, assassination, but Sheik failed to mention this part. "When you engage them from this point, I will come from behind and neutralize as many of them as quickly as possible."

Link cringed a little at the word 'neutralize' but he held his expression neutral to nod back to his friend. As the red-eyed blond nodded and turned to leave, Link reached out to him and stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Sheik… be careful. Okay?"

Seeing the glow of concern and care in those blue eyes, Sheik couldn't keep a small smile from tugging at his mask. "Now, Hero… I should be the one saying that." Noticing the small pout appearing on the blonde's lips, Sheik just chuckled. "Worry not, I will be."

Pulling one Deku Nut from his pouch, Sheik used one of his master's signature moves. With a snap of light, he disappeared within thin air, leaving the Hero with mouth agape from such display.

'He's so cool…' Link thought to himself.

Shaking his head to push away the sense of wonder over his companion's 'coolness', Link quickly attached his shield to his left arm and grabbed the Master Sword with his right one. Taking a spare moment to breathe profoundly and let the breeze of air wash away any distraction from his mind, Link raced forward and jumped from the end of the small cliff.

Oblivious to the incoming threat moving their way, the squad of knights got caught off guard as a heavy sound crashed upon the grass just behind them. "T-The hell?!" One of them jumped to his feet, his startled eyes shooting instantly to the bold man that leaped from the hill above.

The other three were not so quick to react. Sitting on the opposite side from where Link landed, this one soldier almost choked with a piece of meat he was chewing, the one at the right tried to reach for his sword at the same moment he tried to stand up, leading him to fall to the side very awkwardly. Lastly, the man that was sitting with his back turned to the cliff got so scared by the scream of his companion, that he simply fell backward onto the grass.

Marching forward to cover space for his fellow knights to recompose themselves, the Knight already poised to fight snarled at Link. "Don't know who you are, you bastard? You either have some massive balls or very serious head problems to jump at us like this."

"Says the guy attacking a single innocent person with his squad of goons." Link replied with a snarl of his own.

"Yeah… just plain retarded then." The brute growled; a distasteful smirk plastered on his lips.

Took only but a glance for Link to notice the reason for the man's smirk. The once incapacitated knights are now standing and ready to battle. Each of them with a crueler look to their eyes than the other.

"Oi…" Said the one holding a spear with a blackened pole. "Isn't this guy familiar to any of you?" He asked, glancing to his partners for confirmation.

The one that fell most embarrassingly, back of the head straight to the grass, stomped a large pace forward. "Screw that. We'll shank this buffoon, then we can ask questions." Not inclined to wait for the other three, this dark knight lunged forward with his bastard sword in full swing.

Holding his left arm forward, Link met the man's strike with the bulk of his shield, stopping the sword's advance without much problem despite the weapon's long size.

By the startled look on the knight's face, he was not expecting to have his blow blocked so easily. "What are you idiots waiting for? Kill the bastard!" He shouted very angrily, but despite the annoyed look on the faces of the others, they quickly stepped in to join the fray.

Realizing that the incoming attackers will try to circle and flank him, Link pushed his arm against the knight's sword, practically bashing him far away from him. Then taking a long jump to his left, he chooses to meet the knight with the spear head-on, giving him no space to thrust with his weapon.

Surprised by the agile movement of the green-clad warrior, the knight tried to do a quick thrust with his spear; the angle wrong and forced, putting a lot of strain on his arms. Easily matching the spear's push with the Hylian Shield, Link bashed the tip of the weapon away, opening the other man up to a full strike.

However, as Link's feet danced in a nimble spin, he pulled his right arm back just enough to aim the full force of his swing onto the pole of the knight's black spear.

The man cried out more in surprise than in pain as his spear got separated into two pieces. The sheer strength of Link's attack being enough to send the knight flying back to the broken wooden stools they were sitting before.

Using this moment to reach the blond in a second of distraction, two other knights jumped at him with their swords ready to strike. Link instantly noticed the threat incoming and shuffled in a mid-turn from where he was standing. Matching the sword flying from the left with his shield and the one coming from the right with his own blade, he stopped both men completely in their attacks.

"T-This guys… He's making fun of us." Growled the knight blocked by the Hylian Shield.

A small grin showed on the Hero's lips, but this small moment faded very quickly as the sound of grass getting squished echoed from behind him. Now holding half a spear in his hand, the man from before its charging toward Link with the full intent of impaling him from behind.

Frowning at the underhanded tactics of these people, Link shoved both men in front of him away and turned just in time to swat the spear away with a swing of the Master Sword and kick the man straight in the chest.

One bloody cough flew from the man's mouth as his back stormed against the ransacked remains of a small tent. "Y-You fucker… I kill you!" With his rage only increasing by the humiliation, the spearmen sprinted forward in total reckless abandon, his sole aim to pierce that smug blond with the tip of his broken weapon.

Just from the movement of that person alone, Link saw at least three ways he could stop this incoming attack with one strike. But at each conclusion, he frowned. In each of them, he would cleave this man in two with the Master Sword, in the way he is running forward, it would be too easy to end this in the wrong way.

Clenching his teeth, Link stepped aside and simply let the man run right past him, thrusting the spear at the wind.

One of the swordmen noticed the hesitation in the blonde's eyes; as he too recognized several ways his idiot of a companion could have died in that charge. "For real…" He growled in disgust, his tone catching the attention of the other tree. "The bastard is afraid of killing people."

A hard frown took over Link's expression, the provocation clearly having an effect on him.

"Bwahahaha! This is beyond ridiculous." Another knight wielding a sword stormed his words out. "Hey, lad. You can't run around playing the hero in shining armor and be scared of dirtying your blade. Shit like that doesn't fly in the real world."

"One can try." Link replied quietly, much to the amusement of the four knights.

"Know what?" Said the hot-headed spearman. "Now I really want to gut this prick."

"Not if I do him in first!" Yelled the fourth knight, finally charging forward with his pair of small blades.

He hacked, cleaved, and strike. A broken tune playing as his bladed cut against the flying breeze in their attempts to reach the evading blond.

Growing annoyed by their provocation and ceaseless attempts to wound him, Link stomped his right feet against the ground and took a firm stance in his form. Swinging his left arm forward in one powerful motion, he bashed his shield against the man's face, blood exploding from the knight's nose into the metallic surface.

With a cry of pain, the man instantly relented the hold of his weapons as his hands reached for his face. As the searing sensation dulled out at least enough to let him open his eyes, he saw the glint of Link's weapon less than two inches away from his face.

In the first shock, the man yelped and froze in place; terrified that this would be his end. But as the seconds passed and that menacing-looking sword continued firm in its poise, a wicked smile crossed his lips.

"Do it." He provoked the hero yet again. "Come on you pussy, drive that sword through my face. Can't do it, can you?"

Biting his lips with enough strength to draw the color away from them, Link glared at the mocking knight. As much as he wanted to wipe away that stupid smirk, he simply can't kill another person. Not when the vivid image of the person he cleaved one arm off still plagues his mind.

Yet, as the dark knight was ready to let out a triumphant bellow of mockery, a second metallic glint flashed right from below the Master Sword.

"He can't do it, But I can."

A flash of silver crossed upwards, cleaning separating the man's head from his shoulders. There was no cry of pain or confusion, there was only the thud of his body falling backward into the ground.

The remaining trio cried in horror as their fallen companion's head rolled toward them. Their petrified gaze traveling to the white and dark blue blur who killed the man.

"You'll pay for that!" Screamed the spearman, flailing the broken weapon in the air as he charged yet again.

However, opting for a fatal mistake, he openly approached the red-eyed ninja expecting the same result as before. At his fourth step forward, a stream of blood flew from his mouth as a thin blade piece his chest in a single thrust.

Letting out one last angry whimper, the man fell forward, dead.

Sharing an equally terrified glanced between one another, the remaining two were quick to turn on their heels and sprint at full speed to their horses resting at the edge of the camp.

Running after the retreating cowards, Sheik leaped towards the man on the left, planting his blade in the man's back, pinning him harshly against the broken earth. Seeing the other one already mounting on his ride, he took out a set of three flying knives and launched them at the last remaining soldier.

Ducking very closely to his horse's back, the dark knight managed to evade two of the spinning throwing weapons. The third, however, sinking fairly deep at the lower end of his back. Crying very loudly in pain, the knight kicked the sides of his horse with enough strength to make the animal jump and sprint forward as if a demon was chasing after them.

With a click of his tongue, Sheik watched as the last of this group of evil lackeys escaped into the distance. Having no meaning to chase after the man, he focused his attention on the task of finishing the job on the man lying beneath him.

Feeling numb and slightly disgusted, Link felt powerless to stop the senseless killing from happening in front of him. He could only watch as Sheik dispatched the evil knights, slightly disturbed by how easy the other blond could end someone's life.

"Are you well, Hero?" He heard Sheik's voice calling out to him, awakening Link from the slight stupor.

Link glanced to the Sheikah, noticing the small spots of blood now dotting his otherwise pristine clothes. "Y-Yeah… I'm fine…"

Sheik felt the trepidation in the hero's voice, which makes him frown a little. "Link. We can't take any chances with people like these." He said with a slightly more annoyed tone than what he intended, making the other blond shudder a little bit. "Look… they are evil. In the most twisted of ways. I've seen what Ganondorf's soldiers are capable of, and given the chance, they would do the worse of things to any of us."

"I know that!" Link replied loudly too, this time his frown surpassing Sheik's. "I know… But it's just… To take someone's life like that… I can't do it… not yet." He then put away both the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield, a weary look plaguing his eyes. "I can still hear that man's screams in my head. How easily I slashed his body in two; how much stronger than him I felt… Sheik, that scares me."

Then the frustration and anger Sheik was feeling just disappeared. His ruby eyes focused on the downcast look on Link's face; it makes his heart hurt. "It's okay, Link…" He said gently as he moves closer to the other blond, to place a caring hand on those broad shoulders. "Until you are ready to carry some of the burdens this war brings. I will be by your side to carry them for you."

A grateful smile crossed the hero's lips. "Thank you…"

Reciprocating with a small smile of his own, Sheik turned away from Link to glance at the unconscious boy lying silently on the ground. "There's still someone in need of our attention." Calmly pacing over to where the sleeping young man is, the Sheikah began to study this person for any injuries.

In his quick look over him, he saw a red-haired boy with a rather delicate physique. He has light brown skin, small hands barely any hard muscles in his legs or arms. More interesting are his clothes; a pair of baggy grey pants, a dark blue shirt that covers most of his chest area and some of his shoulders but leaves his belly and arms fully exposed, lastly his pair of very unique grey desert-shoes, pointy tip and all.

Growing rather curious about this person, Sheik turned his gaze back to Link and pointed one finger towards the red-haired boy. "Are you well enough to help me carry him back to Kakariko?"

Adjusting the height of his shoulders, Link nodded and stepped forward. "Just leave him to me." However, before he followed Sheik to where the boy is laying, Link turned the other way and moved over to grab a pouch of dried meat the squad of dark knights was sharing.

"Link?" Sheik called out to him; a bit worried at the hero's strange behavior.

With the pouch in hand, he turned to Sheik and replied. "It would be a waste to leave the food here…"

Remembering once more that they only found this place because of the hero's nose for food, Sheik could just shake his head and smile softly.

* * *


	10. One Lovely Sweet Taste

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 10 - One Lovely Sweet Taste_ **

* * *

"Well… this part of Kakariko I've no recollection of." Said a mildly befuddled Sheik.

For all the nostalgia and familiarity he felt entering the steps leading to the small town, the Sheikah found a previously inexistent massive gate hampering their passage. But this huge thing clearly explains why Kakariko managed to stay marginally safe from Ganondorf's clutches.

As oppressive and numerous as the Evil Tyrant's army is, if funneled inside such chokehold, it would suffer heavy casualties just to take one try at destroying this rather ugly-looking gate.

"Hero, you can sit down next to the wall for a few moments to rest your legs," Sheik suggested as he began to unload some of the heavy equipment he has attached to his person. "It will take me a moment to climb this giant thing with so much moss and rust covering it all."

Taking a rare moment of initiative, Link walked past Sheik and stopped right in front of the gate. The Hero's sudden behavior making the Sheikah stop and watch him.

"Hello! Anyone's home?" Link called with a loud voice, at least loud enough to echo above the towering metallic structure.

Rather intrigued by the simple and straight-forward approach, Sheik waited to see if they would get any response.

"Oya? I know that voice…" Surely enough someone quickly appeared above the dented top of the gate. "Boyo!" The elderly gatekeeper beamed at the sight of the young blond. "Quite the scare you gave me. One day showing up all of a sudden and puffing away just as quickly. What's with that, hm…?"

Link gave the bald old man a sheepish smile. "S-Sorry, Flint. Something important came up, had to leave Kakariko before I could see you again."

"Bah, no hard feelings kiddo. Even o' Flint had his days of youth; Heheh." Waving in a gesture to his young friend, Flint disappeared behind the gate again and soon a stream of wobbling's steps sounded off behind the metal.

Soon enough the large gate creaked and began to open ever so slowly.

Giving a glance to his companion Link smiled, this silly reaction telling Sheik that he also has his ways.

Walking out from the small breach he opened, Flint hobbled his way toward Link with a very large grin. "Something wrong with 'em?" Nodding his head, Flint pointed to the young man resting in the Hero's arms.

Looking down to the sleeping face of the red-haired, Link shrugged. "Dunno… we found them in a raided camp just outside…" He then frowned. "Captured by Ganondorf's men."

Widening his eyes at the news, Flint's shoulders shuddered. "Bad news those tin head." He puffed angrily. Carefully raising one hand to the boy's head, he pushed aside the heavy locks of hair to reveal an ugly bump at the boy's forehead. "Poor lad got smacked in the head..." Flint fell into a weird quietness. "There's no real doctor in Kakariko no more… But your buddy Flint can take a peek if you want. Learned a few things with the years."

"There's no need for that." Sheik raised his voice, finally making his presence known to the older man, who glanced at him quite startled as if he hadn't noticed the other blond standing there. "I have the experience and equipment necessary to care for their health. We only need passage to my residence inside Kakariko."

Flint glanced to Link and them back to Sheik, then right back to Link. Gesturing for the green-clad blond to lean forward, the old man whispered. "Friends of yours, Boyo?"

Link smiled and nodded.

"That's one scary mug I tell you. All stealthy-looking and suspicious…" Flint hushed out, making Link chuckle at his words.

"And one scary good hearing as well…" The usual non-friendly frown of the blond Sheikah returning to his face, one that he never used while accompanying the hero.

"Shoot kiddo, there's no need for mean looks. That's just me being funny, no real harm meant." Replied the old man, raising both hands in his defense. "Oya… that mark on your chest…" Flint hastily hobbled his way to Sheik, startling the blond as his bald head leaned very close to stare at him. "Are you, by any chances, an acquaintance of Lord Impa?"

One puzzled look took over Sheik's expression. "Lord Imp is my aunt. Why the need to know such a thing?"

"By my dadda's beard, boy. I didn't know you were family to Lord Impa." One look of instant regret flashing over the man's face. "Please, forgive this old fool for his jokes. O' Flint would never be able to live the rest of his life if he knew he insulted someone as important as you."

"You seem to hold my aunt to a very high regard…" Sheik said a little intrigued. 'Not something most people do.' He thought to himself quietly.

"Gaahh, that's a given!" Flint's reply came out very loud and energetic, a fire of youth sparkling in his aged eyes. "Any resident of Kakariko that's worth the bread they eat, worships Lord Impa. She saved many of us front poverty and famine; giving people a place to live and strive even before this blasted war began. Our blessed angel, may the Goddesses watch over her in whatever place she is now."

"You don't mind the Sheikahs?" Link asked simply, surprising his red-eyed friend with his sudden words.

"I don't," Flint replied promptly. "O' Flint was never one for prejudice, boyo. Whatever people choose to believe, I know the truth that matters most. There are bad people everywhere, Sheikah or Hylian. Can't be judging someone because of their race."

Nodding at the old man's words, Link looked directly at Sheik and smiled gently. His expression telling more than words could right now.

"Your words are very kind, master Flint," Sheik said with a gentle care, something very rare when he is addressing a stranger. "Only if more people would think like you."

"Hah! Imagine that, this old good for nothing serving as an example to others." Flint jests back, taking a short smile out of the two blonds. "You're a good kid, can see that in your eyes… or eye, can't really see the other one behind those blond locks of ours… Anyway, you're clear to go in. Just make sure drop a word to o' Flint if you're to leave town, okay?" In this last bit, he made sure to glance at Link.

"Only one more thing, master Flint," Sheik said. "The manor on top of Kakariko's hill… My aunt's state. Do you know how it fares?" Having heard rumors of the decrepit state of affairs in town, Sheik's fears that some of the people seeking refuge may have invaded one place that should always stay private for more than a few reasons.

"The Sheikah mansion?!" Flint quirked his wrinkled brown. "Nothing to fear there, kiddo. People are so scared of that place they don't even raise shacks in the road leading to it. They say the place is… the place is… what is the name again? The thingamajig… Gahhh, the whatchamacallit…" If he had any hair left in his head, he would surely lose it all by how hard his brain is frying to come up with a word.

Watching the man in confused torment, Sheik tried to guess the first word coming to his tongue. "Cursed?"

"YES!" Flint almost jumped if not for his bad leg. "They say it's cursed. That some evil spirits will take your soul if you get close enough."

A faint frustration crossed the young Sheikah's mind. Sometimes he feels very tired of the nonsense people keep making about his people. "Good…" He breathed out a bit harshly. "At least the rumor serves to keep these buffoons from intruding into someone else's home." Hastily recuperating the few pieces of equipment, he shed earlier, Sheik began to walk towards the entrance with a frown on his face. "Thank you for your time and opening passage for us, master Flint. Come hero, we have little time before night falls."

"Boyo, tie your horses for a moment will ya? Got something important to share." Holding a very stern look in his eyes despite the still easygoing tune of his voice, Flint wobbled his way to Link as the Hero turned to face him. "You oughta be careful out there, ya hear me?"

One small friendly grin crossed Link's lips. Taking the words of the old gatekeeper as a caring concern of someone who means well.

Sheik, on the other hand, noticed the small tingle of desperation in the man's mannerism. "Something you want to share, master Flint?" He asked to try and push the man to divulge the reason for his almost desperate plea.

"Aye... just last evening, a large group of at least twenty tin heads came knocking on the gates." Flint began explaining. "Lucky o' me was on the shift at the time, even got the pleasure of telling them to go knock a rock in their breeches." He chuckled at the memory of seeing those hateful men snarl at him, but then a frown took over him. "But I tell you, last night was different from the usual harass they try to toss our way."

"Different how?" Link spoke out his curiosity. "Did they try to hurt you?"

Flint chuckled softly at that. "Boyo, they try to hurt us every time. No… this time they came with words instead of swords. They were very insistent when asking about this one person. Even showed me a drawn picture of the fella, just to try and stir me memories."

Instantly Sheik's expression grew dark, expecting full well to know where this story is going.

"Boyo, the fella in that picture looked a hell of a lot like you. Green funny costume and all." Letting out a tired sigh, Flint stepped closer to Link and tapped him in the arm. "Just be careful with those tin heads, lad. Heard stories of what they do to good-looking young people like you… not a very pleasant tale."

Link gave Sheik a worried look, to which he received a supporting gaze. "Thanks, Flint. I'll keep that in mind." A somber and pensive expression appearing in his features after this warning, Link frowned and turn to enter the gloom-looking town.

"W-Wait… boyo…" Flint leaned forward ever so slightly, taking support in his crooked cane. 'Sniff… Sniff…' "Is that dried meat I smell on you?" He asked with a tooth-missing grin.

Looking down at the small pouch resting at his belt, a lukewarm smile tugged at Link's lips. Doing his best to reach for the small bag without dropping the young man resting in his arms, the hero pulled the pouch out and raised it over to Flint.

A look of full surprise appeared on the old man's face, his eyes blinking a few times in the direction of the good smelling bag. "Ya sure? Looks like there is a lot inside…"

"You can have it." Link replied warmly. "I'm not that hungry, it would go to waste if I kept it." He pushed his arms forward again, prompting his older friend to take it from him.

Shyly taking a gander inside the small pouch, a heavy glistering moist appeared on Flint's eyes. "Boyo… you are very kind…" He rubbed his tears away just for new ones to appear. "O' Flint will make sure to treasure your gift… maybe share it with a pal of mine who's a bit sickly these days. Thanks, kiddo."

Leaving behind at the gates a very emotional gatekeeper, Link turned his gaze forward and began strolling on the faint road leading inside the small town.

Walking right beside his companion, Sheik took one last glance toward the weeping old man and then looked back to Link. "You're not hungry anymore?" He asked with a slight sarcastic tone, but mostly in real curiosity.

Link's frown deepened as he refused to look anywhere but forward. "Not as hungry as he probably is."

* * *

Their small trip across the dirty roads of Kakariko went as uneventful as Sheik hoped it would. Considering the drastic change in the population and how easy blames flies around in times of strife; the Sheikah almost expected to be encircled by an angry mob of starving people.

However, the very few who recognized the blond for what he is, quickly scattered away or did their best to stay out of his path. Not a very pleasant thing to witness, but at this point, he doesn't care at all. The only solace of this being the Hero's lack of attention to details, and how he didn't even take a hint to the look he and his companion were receiving.

Now, standing in front of the very impressive manor watching over the tall on top of a tall hill, Link is watching his friend fiddle with the door's keyhole, doing an outstanding job of it considering that night has already fallen and there is barely any moonlight shining past the heavy clouds above.

"Lost your key?" Link asked after Sheik had spent more than two minutes on the door and showing no signs of getting it open.

"There is no key, Hero." Sheik replied, still completely focused on his pin and lockpick in hand.

"That's weird… isn't this your house? How come you don't have a key." Replied the confused hero.

Growing slightly frustrated at the distraction, Sheik sighed and glanced back at the other blond. "This is a Sheikah's homestead. There is no need for a key because if you are one of our kind, this little detail should not impede you."

With a roll of his eyes, Link left Sheik to his work, taking his attention to the abandoned road descending to Kakariko. Taking one glance down the very tall cliff at the right side of the large house, he could see only little dots below walking on the streets.

It surprises Link how far away this place is from Kakariko, to him it doesn't even feel like this lonely house is a part of the town. Looking back at the blond behind him, he frowned again.

'Maybe this is what they wanted…' Link thought, not exactly sure with who he means by 'they'.

"There, told you it wouldn't take long." Said a very proud Sheik, his tone uncharacteristically boyish contrary to his normal stern way of speaking. "Come on in. You can stay in the living room for a moment while I lit some of the candles." With that said, he disappeared inside the open door, carrying with him the bag Link was carrying before taking the unconscious boy in his arms.

Taking a few eagers steps forward, Link quickly found himself inside a very spacious but somewhat empty living room. Due to the heavy fabric of the curtains closed on every window, the only source of light is coming from the open double doors behind Link, making it very hard to properly see the furniture and décor of the place.

Strolling around very carefully to not drop or bump into something with the boy, Link stopped in front of a large painting hanging on the wall. Clenching his eyes to try and see better, he notices three forms in that painted picture; one very tall and imposing, one a bit smaller than the first, and the third one barely half the size of the second.

Even as he does his best to see any more details of this picture, he can only recognize the bright color of the sky at the upper part of the painting.

"What are you doing?" Sheik's voice came from behind him; startling a yelp out of the other blond.

"N-Nothing… I was just looking at it…" Link replied with a small tingle of shame, not even sure why seeing as he did nothing wrong, but the questioning look on that red-eye made him think he did. "This painting, is a picture of someone?"

Sheik glared past the hero, looking directly at said painting. "That's something that should've been destroyed very long ago. But I guess my aunt is growing soft." Letting his glare linger for a little longer, Sheik then turned around, raising a candle in front of him. "Come." He said as he flickered the tip of his fingers to made a small flame. "There's one room ready for our guest."

After the awkward exchange, the pair of young blonds traveled to the second floor of the manor, with Sheik guiding Link to a room at the right end of the hallway, a faint glow of light coming from beneath the door.

"Place him it the bed." Sheik ordered as he pushed the door open, a soft creak of wood echoing in the otherwise silent hall.

Link stepped in after Sheik, entering into a fairly well-kept bedroom; with a large bed sitting in the middle, two nightstands with one at each side, and a fairly pompous wardrobe hugging the right wall. Giving light to the room, there are two sets of candles on top of the nightstands with small flames dancing in their head, casting shadows of Link and Sheik's form against the wall and ceiling.

Giving a nod at the bed's direction, Sheik folded his arms against his chest and waited for the hero to do as asked. Without much delay, Link carefully laid the boy on the soft mattress, feeling a sudden soreness in his arms after carrying someone for such a long time.

Gently tapping at the other blonde's arm, Sheik approached the bed, taking a seat right at the edge. "This may take a while… why don't you take one of the candles and explore a little bit." He suggested quietly, already moving to check the red-haired boy for more bruises or wounds. "I'll come and find you when I'm done."

Replying with only a simple nod, Link reached for one of the wooden plates holding a candle and left the room to give Sheik the space he needs to work.

Urged by the growling sound of his stomach, Link went on a little quest of his own to find the supply bag Sheik carried inside the house. Even with the small light in his hands, the young Hero found himself lost more than a few times inside the very confusing layout of the Sheikah house.

Apparently trying to retrace your own steps inside a strange building is more difficult than he realized. After taking more left turns than he thought a house could have, Link found the set of stairs he used to come from the first floor.

From this point forward it felt a lot easier for him to guide himself to his treasure, only because his nose got the sweet scent of the square cake they brought along. Entering a small hallway to the right of the living room, he found the pantry where Sheik had decided to leave their supplies in.

Right there, sitting alone in the midst of mostly empty shelves and stands, Link finally reached his prize as his belly growled even louder in anticipation. Took all of his self-control to settle only for a few pieces of cake and some apples, instead of taking the whole thing with him. Taking one of the empty trays sitting on a dusty shelf, the Hero wiped it clean with a small piece of cloth and settled his selection of treats to carry out with him to another room.

Sitting alone in the large living room in this darkness felt way too gloomy and dreary for his taste, even more after his last dinner with Sheik and Zelda, with so much warmth and life on that night. It was then that the second part of his quest for dinner began, finding the right spot to eat without feeling depressed.

The first two rooms he found were a burst; one in a messy state with broken weapons and other strange equipment laying everywhere. The other one was simply empty, with no furniture or even a carpet on the floor; this room felt even worse than the dark living room.

Deciding to try his luck on the second floor of the giant house, Link went straight to the room on the left side of the hall, two doors past the staircase. With a gentle pull of the handle, the door pried open and instantly a content smile crossed his lips.

Despite being fairly dark as every other room he entered; this one has a shining feeling to it. Maybe it's because of the very wide window at the wall, going almost as high as the ceiling, letting the starry sky dot the floor with spots of light.

Taking a seat on the purple carpet right in front of the window, Link finally began tasting his food, his eyes smiling at the sweetness spreading over his tongue.

Chewing whole-heartedly at his square cake, the young hero finally noticed that there is more to this room than a comfy carpet and a large window with a nice view outside. In fact, there is so much more to this room than that.

Taking the old tray from his lap and placing it on the floor, Link slowly got up, still munching on his chocolate treat. His blue eyes instantly glued to a wooden shelf right next to a single bed; filled with dulled throwing knives, a few shards of a sword, and a clay doll in the shape of a little ninja.

Link brushed his hands against the items, taking out the coat of dust that was covering them. His attention then shifted to a small book lying beneath the little ninja figure. Carefully lifting the clay figurine, he pulled the book back with enough care to no damage the aged-leather cover.

Nibbling away the few crumbles of cake still in his fingers, Link cleaned his hand the best he could before trying to take a peek inside this curious-looking book.

"If you open that, you die." Said a voice coming from behind, startling the poor blond out of his boots.

Leaning against the door frame, Sheik is watching the Hero with a very neutral look to his ruby eye.

Terrified of the sudden warning, Link raised the book as far away as he could. "Does it really kill who opens it?" He asked afraid of the supposed killing book.

A soft chuckle escaped the Sheikah as he casually walked forward and took the book away from the other blond. "No, Hero… the book doesn't kill you. But I would." He said with a smile. "How petulant of you to try and pry unto someone's private journal."

The look of youthful curiosity lighted anew in Link's blue eyes, his gaze fixated on the book again. "Anything embarrassing you're trying to hide in there?"

Sheik shook his head, a little grin playing with his lips. "So many embarrassing ones that I would die if anyone read it." He then poised the book in front of him and flickered two fingers of his free hand, at the same moment the book disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"WHAA—" The hero's jaw fell, never a dull moment in the company of his red-eyed friend. "So… if that was your book, then…"

"Correct… this is… was my room," Sheik replied softly. "Imagine my surprise when I found out you've chosen exactly this place to pass your time. Should've locked the door."

"Glad you didn't!" The hero retorted quickly. "This place feels so magical… so peaceful. That spot is my favorite." He said pointing at the purple soft carpet.

Glancing down at the tray packed with food, Sheik smiled and nodded. "That was my favorite spot as well." Pulling at the cord holding the sheath for his thin sword and pouch with other tools, Sheik relieved himself of any baggage and moved over to take a sit right where Link was sitting before. "I used to sit here for hours without end at night. Studying the texts my master gave me or just taking care of my tools… All under the sparkling starry sky." He glanced back at Link, who is frozen in place with a pensive look, and tapped a spot next to him.

Needing no more than that invitation, Link quickly walked over next to Sheik, sitting by his side with the small feast of sweet food in front of them.

"No other place made me feel so safe as this little spot in my room." Said the Sheikah with a small tone of nostalgia. "My own little world inside Kakariko."

Looking for a word to say, Link scrambled his head while his fingers pinch at the cloth strands standing out in the purple sea of fluffiness. "Hey…" He said again. "Want to continue our game from earlier? Little Truths?"

"This would be a perfect time for it, wouldn't it?" Sheik gave a short smile to Link, even if the other blond can't see it behind his mask. "Seeing as I started this round by sharing this place with you… I ask first. Fair?"

Link quirked one eyebrow. "A little sneaky… but fair."

"Have you ever… regret anything in your life?" Despite how quietly and gently Sheik asked his question, the question itself fell like a giant boulder onto their peaceful mood.

"Sheesh… you really suck at this." Link chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. An air of seriousness washed over the hero's boyish grin; a look that makes him look like a proper adult instead of a boy stuck in a new body. "I do… I regret not being strong enough to save my friend. I regret being so weak that Ganondorf had his wicked way in corrupting Hyrule… I regret… trusting someone who I thought of as a friend before he stabbed me in the back.

Right about now Sheik is the one regretting something. Just one simple question was enough to ruin Link's easygoing mood. Feeling bad about the frown plaguing the Hero's face, he reached down to one piece of cake and raised it to Link. "Here…" Sheik called out softly, making Link turn to him and brush his lips against the brown square. "Sorry for making you remember such awful memories."

Opening his mouth ever so slightly, Link took a bite of the cake and grinned. "I don't mind… but I want something in return."

"And what would that be, Hero?" Sheik asked, brushing the cake onto Link's lips again.

"Mhm… First…" Link gulped the food down to talk properly. "Stop calling me HERO, I hate it. My name is Link. It feels so stiffy when you call me that instead of my name."

"That…" The whole speech about professionalism played itself in Sheik's head. But the blond decided to just shake those thoughts away and give in just a little. "That sounds reasonable. I promise to not repeat the 'offense'."

One very content smile spread over Link's lips. "Cool… and secondly… I want to see your face again." He sounded surprisingly shy in his second request.

Unlike the first one, Sheik gave no hint of a reaction in his ruby eyes and this made Link worry that he may have pushed him too far.

"S-Sheik, you really don't ha-"

"It's fine." Sheik cut in; placing the half-eaten piece of cake back in the tray and then lifting both hands to his complicated turban.

Moving very slowly in the process of undoing the bandages holding his headwear, Sheik began to remove one by one the pieces hiding his face. Keeping his eyes closed, he can't see the look of pure expectation on the other blonde's face.

With one last tug at the large bandage holding everything together, Sheik undid his turban; letting his white mask slide down his chest and into the floor.

"As per your request." He said in jest, doing a mocking bow to his companion.

However, taking the Sheikah completely by surprise, the sensation of something akin to battle-worn leather brushed on his right cheek. As his gaze lifted back to glance at Link, he noticed the outstretch gloved hand touching his face with so much care as if he could break.

"Hero…" Sheik whispered softly, just to receive a light frown.

"You promised…" Link complained.

A playful chuckle escaped Sheik at the other blonde's boyish reaction. "Sorry, Link."

"I still don't get it… You look so pretty." Link blurted out without even noticing his words escaping him. His right hand resting at Sheik's cheek, going upwards ever slowly, brushing the long fringe hiding his other eye. Right then, Link's breathing became uneven. "Wow…"

So much for controlling his heart around the blue-eyed menace. That sincere reaction of Link made Sheik's entire body quiver with unfamiliar sensations.

"S-Sheik… I want another turn…" Link managed to stutter out in his state of daze.

"That doesn't sound too fair…" Replied the other blond with a chuckle.

"Can I kiss you again?"

Sheik had to blink more than a few times to try to understand what he just heard. Feeling his cheeks grow hot and pink, his eyes tried to shift anywhere that was not blue and adorable. "So, you know what a kiss is?"

'What's wrong with me.' He snarled internally at the stupid question coming out from his mouth.

"Of course I know what a kiss is!" Link retorted a bit offended at the question. "I may look stupid and naïve… but I am not. I know a lot of things… I know what a want… Do you?"

"How can you be so certain of that?" Sheik rebuked firmly, his red eyes still failing to look at Link. "You barely know me, Link."

"Then…" Link's voice sounded a lot closer, so close that Sheik had to turn and see just how close Link is to him. "Let me know you, Sheik."

It all turned into a blur as Link leaned forward and pressed his lips against Sheik's. The blonde's red eyes widened in surprise at Hero's boldness and eagerness, so different from the shy boy that Sheik pushed a kiss into just one night ago.

Relenting control almost completely, Sheik just stood there in shock as Link pulled back from the small peck; more than ready to lean forward for another one.

"Weren't you hungry?" Sheik tried to deflect, his partial attention drifting to the lonely tray on the floor.

"Not anymore." Said the hero, his face very serious.

"That's a shame… I thought you liked sweet. The cake looks very delicious too, and-" The babbling Sheikah only stopped talking when Link pushed the same piece of cake Sheik was feeding him before against his lips.

Link held the cake there until Sheik relented and took a bite, then a mischievous grin appeared on his handsome features. "Well… maybe I'm a little hungry." He carefully placed what is left of the piece cake back on the tray, and shuffled right in next to the red-eyed blond. "And I love sweet food." His words coming like whispers as he leaned closer and closer to those beautiful thin lips.

"You're awful…" Sheik breathed out, his resistance all but inexistent anymore, as he eagerly awaits for what is to come.

Link gave him one last playful smile just before pressing their lips together again.

Their first two little kisses were sweet, short, and innocent. With Sheik and then Link, so carefully pressing a caring peck into the other.

This one is raw, needy, and a lot messier.

Tugging, nibbling, and even liking, Link tries to give attention to every detail of Sheik's lips; losing himself in that softness.

One quiet whimper escaped Sheik as a pair of strong arms pressed at his side, pulling him closer into a melting embrace. Then his eyes startled open when Link tried to invade push inside Sheik's mouth with his tongue; who quickly recovered from his surprise and gave way for the Hero's exploration.

Letting out a moan, Link reluctantly pulled back trying to regain his breath. His eyes showing a lot of maturity on them, together with a wildfire of desire that Sheik never dreamed of seeing on him.

"You know… there's a few more pieces of cake left." Link joked lightly with his uneven breathing.

Deciding to completely give up on his nagging concern about their situation, Sheik rolled his arms around Link's neck and giggled. "I take back what I said… You're not awful, you're terrible."

A shared laugh sounded between the two, the pair of blondes settling down against the comfort of the purple carpet as Link's began to kiss Sheik yet again.

"Maybe…" Link breathed out in between each little peck. "But only with you."

* * *


	11. An Easy Decision

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 11 - An Easy Decision_ **

* * *

Under the caring breeze of a peaceful late-night, nocturnal birds are singing in soothing blissful chirps. Unaware and uninvolved in the strife plaguing the land of the Goddesses known as Hyrule.

Enjoying the umbral melody, a pair of young dreamers are doing their best to steal this moment and escape themselves from the reality that so ruthlessly claws everyone in it. Yet, try as much as he wants, the youngest of the duo can't separate himself from the woes always chaining his thoughts.

Resting his head against the firm chest of his blue-eyed fascination, Sheik is getting rather fond of his unusual pillow. "Link… what are we doing?" He shifted in his spot ever so slightly, making waves on the hero's green tunic.

Growing very attached to the feeling of the other blond resting on him, Link feels so happy right now that he just nuzzled his chin against the young Sheikah's golden hair and hummed back.

"This is serious…" Sheik tried to bring his concern again, this once pulling himself back enough to properly look up to see Link glancing back at him. "What are we doing? Everything will get so complicated… so turbulent."

Link, who was just smiles and sunshine, grew very serious in his gaze. "Do you regret kissing me?" His question carrying a lot of weight in its words.

"No!" Sheik shoot back, supporting himself with his elbows against the purple carpet. "I… don't… never." Then, pulling himself back to sit and hug his knees, Sheik trailed his ruby eyes to the large window to his right. "But, can't you see the ramifications of what we've done here? People will resent you. They may even turn against you. Something as dastardly as that could compromise our mission, your very destiny-"

Stopping his red-eyed affection ready to spur into an endless rant, Link sat up and wrapped the other boy into a comforting embrace. "What people may think. Any stupid rejection from strangers I don't even know their names… nothing of that matters to me." Pulling back enough to look at Sheik's face, his lips pressed together into a simple grin. "Only your opinion matters."

Staring wordlessly at Link, Sheik felt a bubbly sensation fuzzing his chest up. Still, even if the other blonde's words bring an unspeakable amount of warmth to his soul, the ever stoic and level-headed Sheikah couldn't control the frown from taking over his expression. "You're being a simple-minded fool!" He blurted out very loudly, making his companion wince. "Can't you see how much you're risking being with me? People will hate you. They will condemn you."

"I. Do not. Care." Link repeated very slowly. "Think what they want, it makes no difference to me. At the end of the day, I'm the one who will face Ganondorf. If our… my… If what I feel for you makes them hate me, then they can sit in their pettiness while I save their hide."

The unyielding light shining in Link's blue eyes robbed Sheik's of his air. As a wave of alien feelings rushed from his chest, he leaned his head forward and pressed his forehead against the hero's chest.

"Stupid…" He said quietly, his right hand beating firmly against the fabric of the green tunic. "I am so weak against you."

"Really?" Link asked cheerfully, his grin shining like a beacon for his happiness.

Sheik replied with a weak nod, pressing his face even more against his hero, enough to hear the rapid beating of the other blonde's heart. "I blame your ridiculously cute puppy eyes."

A healthy burst of laughter escaped the very fuzzy-feeling hero, his arms promptly pulling Sheik into a tight hug again. The other blond, feeling a lot shyer than he normally is, pressed most of his face against Link's tunic, doing his best to conceal his own silly smile.

Interrupting their moment of joy, a barely audible hush of shuffling noises echoed from the dark hallway.

"You heard that?" Asked Link, pulling himself away from Sheik to try and peak at the open door of their room.

Letting out a disappointed sigh, Sheik nodded as he crawls away to where he left his mask and turban. "Seems like our guest has woken up."

Cursing the poorly timed moment the injured boy chose to stir from his slumber, the young Sheikah began to roll his clean white bandages around his head, rearranging the mysterious outlook he normally wears.

Watching the other blond conceal his face yet again, Link felt a slight sense of disgruntlement push a bothered growl past his lips. His very sincere reaction not escaping Sheik's ears, to which the red-eyed blond chuckled ever so quietly.

"Sheik…" Link called out to him, his voice a little unease. "After the brave words and all that, it's kind of silly for me to ask this, but… What are we now?"

Already done with his disguise, Sheik turned back to look at Link with his sole exposed red-eye; his mask hiding the small smile hugging his lips. "A silly question indeed." He replied with a neutral tone, walking slowly towards his blue-eyed companion. "You are the Hero of Time and I am your faithful guide throughout your perilous journey."

Instantly Link's arms shoot up, his voice coming in a stream up to his throat in rebuttal. Yet, before he could get even a single word out, Sheik surprised him by pulling the white mask down and pressing a chaste kiss on the hero's lips.

Then all the fire of an outcry faded from the hero's blue gaze.

Brushing two fingers across Link's damp lips, the teasing Sheikah smiled at hero one last time before hiding his face yet again. Turning away from his startled lover, he casually left the room, leaving the other blond to his confused stupor.

Blinking a few times to flush his daze away, Link shifted his blue eyes to the sparkling stars watching him from beyond the window's glass; a soft smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "Sheesh… what a teasing master."

* * *

Groaning painfully from the grey fog of his dreamless sleep, Vahn stirred around the fluffiness engulfing him, this strange comfort bringing ease to throbbing echo thumping at his head. Forcing his eyelids open, he tried and peer at his surroundings.

"Where… Agh…." As he tried to pull himself upwards to sit, the screaming ache of his injury made the poor boy whimper and fall right back onto the soft pillow.

"I would avoid overworking your body if I were you." A firm and yet calm voice sounded from the side, making Vahn drift his gaze ever so slowly to the open door of what now he recognized as a fancy bedroom.

"Who are you?" Vahn asked, very stubbornly reenacting his struggle to sit. "Where am I?"

Watching the other boy wince, whimper, and cry as he pulled himself up, Sheik rolled his eyes at the antics, folding his arms against his chest. "Currently, you find yourself resting from an injury in my house. Me and… my companion found you unconscious in the middle of a raided camp."

"The camp?!" The boy jolted in his spot, one of his hands flying to his head as a wave of pain made him recoil back. "Some Dark Knights ambushed us… Everyone… Master… What happened to the people that were there with me?"

Quirking an eyebrow in curiosity, Sheik did his best to convey the answer in a way he would not worsen the boy's state of distress. "We found only you and four knights in that camp… While there were signs of other people's presence in trails, there were long gone before we arrived."

Contrary to Sheik's expectation, the boy's vibrant green eyes didn't dull out in sadness nor they flared up in despair. Showing a lot of maturity in contrast to his fairly young face, he simply pushed his back against the bed support and brought one hand to his lips in contemplation.

"They must have forced the others to show them the path." Vahn reasoned. "You said there were only four knights at the camp, right?" He shot Sheik a searching look but quickly drifted his gaze down again. "I remember at least twelve of them… Their leader clubbed me in the head when I tried to shield master from his abuse. Can't remember much after that."

"You seem… very calm about all of this," Sheik commented. "Most people would be hard-pressed to retain such composure after a harrowing event like this one."

The boy looked back at Sheik again, his face neutral but with a slight glow of suspicion in his eyes. "I'm… Chronicler. An apprentice of one at least. My master always valued a level-head, and the ability to remain calm despite the adversities. Still, I can't vouch much for this point of view of his, seeing that this stoniness landed us in this mess, to begin with."

Sheik felt himself growing even more curious about this person, who has very little problem letting his mouth run off without end.

Noticing the strange look he is receiving from his supposed savior, Vahn brushed the back of his hair and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, sometimes my mouth has a will of its own. Look at me babbling without end before even presenting myself." Straining his body in an almost military-perfect stance, he bowed his head. "My name is Vahn. Thank you for rescuing me from those thugs' clutches."

Replying to the gesture with a cordial bow of his own, Sheik stepped over next to the bed. "Nice to finally meet you, Vahn. I'm Sheik."

"Sheik…" Vahn said his name in a drawn-out way, letting the unspoken question linger in the air.

"Sheik, the person who saved your life and let you in his house. That's more than you need to know at this moment." His ruby eye showing the finality of his sentence very clear, which Vahn acknowledged begrudgingly.

"Fair enough… I guess." Said the green-eyed boy. "Can I at least ask, where are we?"

"Kakariko… My family Villa inside Kakariko." Sheik replied fairly.

Quietly interrupting their conversation, Link walked in from the dark hallway. Both Sheik and Vahn considering the newcomer a little blessing to their ever-increasing awkward exchange.

"Are you feeling better?" Link asked the red-haired boy as he noticed the odd silence between the two of them.

One proper glance at the green wearing blond and Vahn's brooding face rather hastily changed to a friendly smile. "Yes, very much. Thanks to you two for saving me." He replied with a full verdant of spring in his tone; something that did not escape a certain Sheikah's observant eye.

Pleased by the positive reply, Link approached the bed with a friendly smile of his own. "The name is Link. Nice to meet you, eh…"

"Vahn!" He chirped in reply. "My name is Vahn. Nice to meet you too, Link." Then, Vahn frowned and leaned to look closer at the blue-eyed blond. "Link…" He repeated, this once in a quieter and pensive voice.

The pair of blondes traded a glance between one another, intrigued by Vahn's sudden behavior. Then, before Sheik could manifest his displeasure at the eagerness at which the red-haired is leaning closer and closer to Link, Vahn jolted back on the bed with wide-open eyes.

"I-I… I k-know you." Vahn stuttered as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Paying no mind to his throbbing headache, he shuffled around in a hurried attempt to reach for his baggy pants' pockets. "T-This one here. It's you, right?"

Inching forward into the edge of the bed, Vahn raised and unfolded a piece of paper in Link's direction; his jade-green eyes sparkling like never before.

"Where did you get this?" Sheik asked startled, snatching the piece of paper out of Vahn's hand.

Sheik's gloved fingers pressed very firmly against the worn-out piece of paper, his arm slightly shaking.

His red eye is staring directly into a very detailed and artful drawn picture of Link; green tunic and hat included. Colored and in profile, to show most of his handsome characteristics. To put it properly, this is a way too embellished picture of Link, whomever drew this made him more chiseled and broader in his features.

"Hey… that's me." Link beamed excitedly as he reached for his portrait. "What's an interloper?" He looked at Sheik, pointing at the printed letters written on the lower side.

"IT'S YOU!" Vahn practically jumped from the bed into the wooden floor right in front of Link. "The man that has even the Dark Tyrant himself getting weak in the knees. A legend no one knew to be true… The Hero of Time."

Clearing his throat loudly, Sheik graciously took the paper back from Link's hand and raised it forward in Vahn's direction.

Tapping one finger on top of the line 'Beware of the Interloper', he raised his stoic voice again. "Don't stray away from the question. What is the source of this… wanted poster?"

"I got that one when we passed by the Dark City… that's how we take to call the fallen capital nowadays. As I made a few runs in the slums trying to get us supplies to make the journey in the fields, I saw one of the Court guards handing these to everyone." After his lengthy explanation, Vahn jumped back in bed, letting his legs dangle in the air while his gaze is firmly pressed in the Hero's direction.

"Even if I really like the painting… it's a little creepy to imagine that someone out there is drawing a bunch of them to hand over to people." Link grumbled with a frown. "How much time would someone lose with that trouble?"

"They may be handling this 'trouble' with a bit more sophistication than that, Hero," Sheik replied, letting the habit of calling Link by his title slip out, much for the other blonde's annoyance. "One with magical talents could easily multiply something as simple as a drawn picture… Ganondorf has more than a few warlocks at his disposal, who could easily perform such a trick."

"I can too," Vahn announced with a proud little grin. "As a Chronicler, a little bit of magic is nothing to me."

"Apprentice of a Chronicler, as I recall, right?" Sheik said back, a little jab to the red-haired boy who seems too eager to impress the hero.

"Semantics…" Grumbled the frowning scholar apprentice. "I'm as much of a Chronicler as those grey-haired brick heads, who are so keen on ignoring my growth under master's teachings."

"Understandable mister Vahn, the Chronicler. Can you tell us what you and your party were doing in that awful hiding spot?" Stepping away from the bed, Sheik took a seat in a wooden chair, giving enough space for the boy to get comfortable in his borrowed bed.

"Before you start judging me for that blunder, my 'betters' were the ones who decided to camp there. And they would hear none of my complaints." Vahn explained. "Anyway, we were bound to climb the steps up the Death Mountain. In his research, master found a lead to something he called 'The gift of the Goddesses'. And this supposed relic is somewhere deep inside the raging mountain."

"Curious…" Sheik said back. "You claim to be heading up the Death Mountain, but your master decided to camp out in the open instead of spending the night in Kakarito, which is the only known route to your destination."

"Yeah… I'm with Sheik on this one." Link added in. "You guys were like five minutes from Kakariko. Why risk making camp where someone can ambush you?"

Resting his head against the comfy pillow, Vahn couldn't reel in the long sigh that escaped him. "Kakariko has a very… ill reputation everywhere else. With the number of refugees and the rumored famine going on. Master decided it would be very dangerous to set foot here with all the baggage we carried."

"The open field of Hyrule seems an even worse choice, wouldn't you say?" Sheik rebutted. A little offended by the prejudice aimed at his home town, but also finding himself ill-equipped to defend Kakariko against the accusations.

"Okay, sure. But my elders'… stupidity was not the only reason for why we avoided Kakariko." Replied the red-haired boy. "I don't know if you noticed, but the mountain is raining fire and brimstone down its slopes. No way anyone can survive the normal climb."

Taking in Vahn's words with wandering thoughts, Sheik nodded as another situation occurred to him. "That would explain the lack of proper efforts on Ganondorf's part in taking Kakariko. If the Moutain truly is coming alive… then it's only a matter of time before this fiery storm reaches the town."

"At first I was shocked to see people still living here with the state of the mountain. But after getting so close to it, I could see that the dark clouds in the sky are keeping the red glow well hidden." Turning his head to the side, searching for the sole window at the side, Vahn frowned in slight confusion at the sight of stars shining in the sky.

He almost began to doubt the truth in Sheik's statement about their location, but the very faint smell of sulfur hovering in the air tells him the grim reality of this place.

Shaking these stray thoughts away, he continued. "Master found a secret route that leads directly inside the mountain. A small entrance created by the ancient Gorons, well hidden from anyone who doesn't know the exact location."

Differently from Link, who is listening to Vahn's tale with a curious glee in his eyes, Sheik found himself frowning deeply at the end of the boy's account. "Now the Dark Knights have captured your master and colleagues, who so happens to know this ancient passage." Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the red-eyed blond pressed an iron-tight grip at the side of his chair making the wood creek painfully at his inner-anger. "No doubt they will use every method possible to extract this information from them. And by doing so, gaining a way to invade our last free allies."

Link shuffled in his spot, his gaze traveling to Sheik with a worried look. "You think they will attack the Gorons?"

Sheik nodded solemnly, a hint of sadness flashing in his red eye. "The fiend has done everything in his power to vanquish any allies the Princess may have. First, the free people of Hyrule who still opposed him, then he blocked every road leading to any other country… Lastly, he… The Zoras…" Even if the words are present, painfully alive in his mind, Sheik still hesitates to openly bring about the terrible fate that befell the aquatic people.

"I heard the Gorons managed to stay clear of the Tyrant's armies," Vahn interjected, in a way to spare the blond from saying it himself and also because he feels heavily inclined to speak to the blue-eyed hero. "Mostly because Kakariko managed to stay… isolated. But also, because they are huge stone-eating folk. I'd wager most of the mercenaries are terrified of them."

"Mercenaries may be terrified of Gorons, but these men are not mercenaries," Sheik replied. "Dark Knight is a rank reserved only to those completely loyal to Ganondorf… And the manner in which they gain such title makes them a very dangerous threat. Even to the strong Goron people."

Only the hint of a stepping sound coming from the side was enough to make the young Sheikah close his eyes and sigh.

"Then we help them!" Link promptly declared with determination shining in his cerulean blue eyes. "I've met the Gorons before. Sure, they are big and strong, but most of them are goofy and peaceful. They will have no chance in a fight against these Dark Knight guys."

Pointing his red-eye in a soft glare to his brave companion, Sheik tried to convince himself to speak against this hindering selfless behavior of Link. 'What else did I expect…' He sighed yet again, knowing fully how futile his endeavor would be.

"We leave first thing in the morning." Sheik ceded, much to Link's approval. "You." He said pointing at Vahn. "Better get back to sleep and try to regain as much energy as possible. Given your knowledge and the circumstances leading to this hasten attempt of rescue, you're coming with us."

Contrary to Sheik's expectation, Vahn showed no signs of fear or hesitation. Instead, his face brightened up with a hopeful smile. "Understood, sir." The boy replied with a jesting salute, yet despite his clear mocking intentions, it was impossible to ignore how impeccable and firm his stance is; almost making the fragile young man look like a veteran soldier.

Deciding that the trouble of trying to peer further into Vahn's intentions and identity would not be worth the hassle at the moment. Sheik only nodded at him and walked out of the room.

Link watched his companion go with a curious glance, mildly worried at the abrupt manner in which the Sheikah left the room.

"Ah… Link?" Vahn called out for him, making the Hero turn his gaze back to the green-eyed boy. "My master and the others… they are pompous self-absorbed brick heads… but they are good people."

A wide smile spread across Link's lips, walking closer to the bed he reached with one hand and ruffled Vahn's shaggy violet hair. "We will get them back, Vahn. I promise you."

Looking up at the amazing person in front of him is almost like looking at a shining beacon of light. Mesmerized by the Hero's brightness, the light-brown skin of Vahn's cheeks gained a streak of warmth and redness to it.

"T-Thank you…" He replied in a small stutter, surprising himself at his silly reaction to just one smile.

* * *

'So much for keeping him in line.'

Pulling, pushing, and shuffling the position of every little thing he can find in front of him, Sheik has spent the last five minutes occupying his hands with menial tasks while his head is berating himself for letting his feelings for the Hero cloud his judgment in correcting the man's ridiculous propensity to steer away from the intended path.

Shooting glares everywhere he looks, the young Sheikah is doing his best to make a working plan to pull Link back to their task at hand as quickly as possible. And his frown just worsens when he acknowledges the very slim chance of something like that working.

'Why can't he see that he can't save everyone?' One hand reached to a dull old throwing knife sitting on the tall shelf next to his bed. 'His life is worth more than just a few ones…' Pressing his index finger against the tip of the cold metal, the red-eyed blond sighed heavily, letting the old weapon down to its sitting spot. 'Because that's what makes Link… Link.'

Each time Sheik compares himself to his selfless companion, a part of him cringes and recoils in disgust of himself. The evident toll this war has taken on his young but calloused soul, makes him wanders if not for the horrors he has witnessed in these past seven years if then he would be so ready to risk everything to save others as Link so casually do.

Feeling so very tired out of a sudden, Sheik took refuge in the softness of his old bed. Letting his gaze wander aimlessly, he found the sight of his first love as a child; the harp Zelda gave him when they first began their friendship.

Brushing two fingers against the delicate cords, Sheik made the beautiful tune fly in the air, covering the otherwise gloom and dark room with a sense of warmth and comfort. Easing his mind into a state of peace, the young Sheikah only allowed his fingers to work in one of the many melodies that have been ingrained into his mind.

As the last string sang its cord, Sheik finally gained enough of his senses to notice a presence watching him by the door.

"That was… beautiful." Link commented with a look of awe to him, way too overwhelmed by the song to try and show his normal boyish energetic side, that most likely would push him to clap his hands excitedly.

"My aunt taught me…" Sheik replied calmly, his red eye falling to his harp again. "Like many other songs."

Quietly walking over to the bed, Link found a seat next to the blond Sheikah and took in his hand the mythical relic given to him by Zelda.

Bringing the Ocarina of Time to his lips in a careful trepidation, the young hero tried to copy the same notes Sheik had so beautifully played in his harp. However, as much as Link tried to emulate each note, he could only play a broken and out of tune version.

Despite the ear bothering sounds coming from right next to him, Sheik felt a little wave of chuckles escape him. "Not disastrous for your first attempt." His playful comment making Link pull the Ocarina away from his lips with a small frown on his brow; this reaction only making his red-eyed affection smile even more.

Showing his characteristic light pout that paints him younger than his face shows, Link turned his face to the side to try and escape another teasing attempt from the other blond. "W-What is the name?" He said quickly to try and push this conversation in a place where Sheik would at least lose that annoying grin. "The song's name? The one you just played."

Nudging himself closer to Link, Sheik pressed against the hero's strong arm; his gaze traveling away to the little dots still visible past the window. Closing his eyes, he felt the verses coming back to him as if he was traveling back in time to the day his master taught him this song.

"Something that grows stronger with the passage of time… A feeling that blossoms into a righteous power… never-ending in its flame… a true friendship."

A content sigh flew from the young Sheikah when he finished speaking as if a piece of his own truth came back to him right at this moment.

"The Bolero of Fire." He spoke firmly, turning his gaze back to a stern-looking Link. "One of the many songs Impa taught me. This one is dedicated to the powerful mountain next to Kakariko. My aunt said that the verses are just as important as the notes I play… but I don't think she meant those verses to me."

"Bolero of Fire…" Link repeated the words, his own voice echoing to his ears as if they were demanding to be heard again just to show their importance, whatever the meaning is. "Think you can teach me?" He asked Sheik with his charming little grin, making it very hard for the blond Sheikah to do anything but smile back and nod.

"I will gladly teach you, Hero." As Sheik called him hero again, a frown appeared in Link's feature, but at his point, Sheik is doing it just to tease the poor soul. "But another time, perhaps. Now you should follow Vahn's lead and rest. Tomorrow will be another long day."

Link's frown disappeared as a curious grin crossed his lips. "Can I sleep here?"

One very spontaneous laugh surprise both Sheik and Link, the red-eyed ninja not expecting such a daring request from his mostly innocent hero. "You cannot, Link. There are plenty of spare rooms in the house."

"Spoilsport." Link said with a pout, pulling himself up to his feet again.

With a large smile hiding behind his mask, Sheik just watched as Link slowly walked away towards the open door, the little devious hero making sure to stop and glance at Sheik every now and then just to see if the other blond would change his mind and call him back.

"Away with you, Hero." Sheik said in a tease. "Good boys always behave in someone else's house."

Taking the handle of the door with one hand, Link snorted and glanced back at Sheik with a teasing look of his own. "Maybe I'm not one of the good boys."

Another healthy laugh escaped the red-eyed blond. "Sleep. Now!"

Waving a good night to the pretty Sheikah, Link closed the door as he walked away. His heavy steps sounding off as he looked for another room for him to rest his tired body.

Left behind to the silence of his room, Sheik fell with his back against the comfort of his soft mattress. Closing his eyes and pressing two fingers against his lips, an involuntary sigh escaped him.

Despite the weight of fatigue wearing his body down, Sheik will be hard-pressed to calm himself down enough to fall asleep. There are more than a few memories of Link's warmth and the taste of his lips to keep the young Sheikah awake for the whole night.

* * *


	12. Reaching Inside the Mountain

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 12 - Reaching Inside the_** **_Mountain_ **

* * *

"Y-You know... when you said 'we move first thing in the morning'... I didn't expect we would get on the road before the sun has even risen." One very sleepy and mildly annoyed Vahn complained, yawning in very exaggerated acting to convey his tiredness.

True to the words of the youngest in the new trio of adventures, their party, mainly Sheik, got up from bed at the earliest chirp of the morning birds. For Link, who is one used to a stricter way of traveling thanks to his younger years, found no problem in following the Sheikah's lead and prepared himself for the day ahead of them.

Their new companion, however, was not as conformed when a stoic-faced ninja came to his room and pulled away the soft blankets that felt so warm in this cold dawn of the day.

Now, following behind the two blonds, the poor Chronicler is hugging himself, rubbing his hands across his arms in a desperate effort to push aside the chilling cold.

"C-Can't we stop in some shop here and get a few cups of a hot tea or even a steaming soup?" Vahn whined between gritting teeth.

Rolling his eyes at the constant complaints of the red-haired boy, Sheik conceded just in the speed of his steps, only to turn and look at Vahn with his visible red eye. "The more you complain, the colder it gets. Just ignore it for now and soon enough you won't feel anything."

"Easy for you to say, Mister fifty layers of clothes." Vahn retorted while throwing a small glare at the red-eyed blond. "I won't feel anything because I'll freeze to death." This last part came more as a mumbling than an actual loud complaint like all the rest.

While the two of them continued in their banter about the colder weather and their personal taste for clothing, Link is quietly fiddling with his Ocarina. His mind still lingering in the small exchange he had with Sheik and the pretty song his...

'My what...' Link thought to himself, his blue gaze finally leaving his Ocarina to discreetly move towards Sheik, who is scolding Vahn about something.

The only thing giving the young Hero pause in his curious time with the magical instrument is this dilemma plaguing his thoughts.

What Sheik is to him?

His friend?

Sure, he cherishes the Sheikah's friendship, but they have moved way past that point.

His lover?

For some reason, this word sounds a bit off for Link. He hasn't met many 'lovers' over in his journeys, as he would always travel to the weirdest and desolated places on the quest Zelda passed to him.

How does someone understand if a person is their lover?

What should he call the other blond?

"Link!" Said blond called out for him, startling Link from his wandering thoughts. "Something amiss?" Sheik asked after noticing the unusual quietness of the green-clad warrior. "You're being strangely quiet today."

Link stared at Sheik for a couple of long passing seconds, this even weirder reaction making the Sheikah quirk an eyebrow at him.

"I'm just…" Link paused again, wondering if he should speak his mind. "I've been thinking about that song you played last night." He told the partial truth with a short grin. "It won't be long before I mastery it, just you wait."

A soft smile came to Sheik's lips, hidden behind his mask. "Have no haste, Link. Took me a little while to learn each of them." He then turned to face the town buildings coming just ahead of them. "Let's not linger here too much. I've chosen to cross Kakariko this early in the morning for a reason."

Picking up the pace and by proxy making the other two quicken their steps. Sheik led their party across the main road crossing Kakariko, ignoring the drunk and desperate lying on the cold ground of the bleak town.

With the Sheikah on the lead, Vahn very close behind him, and Link on the rear, the group crossed most of Kakariko in silence and the environment around them replied in kind; a soul-chilling silence accompanied their small stroll.

However, this gloomy mood only lasted for Link until they crossed the center of Kakariko where the sealed well resides.

Oblivious to the incoming wave of dread rushing his way, Link only continued to follow behind Vahn's steps while playing a few low tunes in the Ocarina. Then, as he decided to try and repeat the beginning of the song, his breath failed to raise past his lips.

' _ **Guilty…'**_ A river of voices flooded Link's head in the span of a second. Dark invisible tendrils clawing at his legs, rooting him firmly in place. _**'Blood… Death… Misery…'**_

From behind this chorus of nightmarish voices, a low but frequent sound could be heard.

' _Dum-Ba-Badump... Dum-Dum-Badump...'_ Rhythmic and captivating, yet feral and violent. A beating streak akin to the drums of war carrying forward this spiral of anguished cries.

And with the same storming suddenness this crashing sensation came, it faded to nothing, finally giving Link a moment to regain his breath.

Instantly shifting his gaze to where he imagined seeing this sea of dark hands washing towards him, Link stared at the old well with a horror struck look in his eyes. "W-What… was that?"

"Link…?" Sheik's voice called out to him again, this time the Sheikah turned fully to look at Link, worried about the look in the hero's face.

"Sorry… I'll stop distracting myself." Link replied with a goofy grin, brushing the back of his head with one hand.

Sheik, who didn't look very convinced about it, just nodded and turned to continue walking. Vahn, looking distressed himself over the large number of people living in the streets, didn't pay much attention to Link's odd behavior.

Lastly, Link still feeling numb over the harrowing event he witnessed shot a stern look over to the ominous well. Shuddering at the sight of the ancient-looking structure, the young hero decided to leave the well and whatever that was behind him, deciding that following Sheik is the best he can do for now.

* * *

A little while after leaving Kakariko, in which the old gatekeeper Flint held hostage most of their time in town with his remarks and ramblings, the group diverted their path towards the abandoned camp they visited yesterday.

Even if Sheik had insisted, they skip this trip in favor of sprinting towards the Dark Knights and the scholars they have kidnaped, Vahn argued with him that most of his belongings and tools were still in that camp.

At the boy's very firm insistence, the young Sheikah conceded and let Vahn lead them to that desolated place.

Much to his expectation, nothing had changed in there. The three Knights he dispatched the other day are still laying in there, dead. Unfortunately, even if much of the scenery hasn't changed, the same can't be said to the uncomfortable stench of recently deceased bodies impregnating the air.

"Hey, everything is here. Safe and sound." Vahn cheered loudly as he raised a dark green leather bag in the air, then his free hand flew just as fast to swat some annoying flies away from him. "Thank the Goddesses these tin-head brutes don't know value outside of rupees and sparklings."

A scornful snort flew from the Sheikah's lips, his red eye shifting ever so quickly to the worthless scum lying on the floor. "Don't be so quick to dismiss their nose for valuables. I've seen countless times their type invading a humble house in search of anything they may call 'riches'."

Giving his red-eyed companion a quirky look, Vahn wrapped the bag's strap over his shoulder, a content smile resting on his lips. Hearing the broken sounds of a few notes flying from an Ocarina, his gaze shifted to the green-wearing blond standing far away from them.

"Is he always like that?" Vahn asked Sheik as he pointed towards Link.

Giving a glance to Link himself, Sheik watched with a somber look as the Hero plays with his ocarina. "Distracted and easygoing? Most of the time. But that's not why Link is standing so far away for us." His ruby eye traveled to the dead knights close to him and frowned. "Link doesn't like violence."

"Well, most people don't like that." Vahn replied.

The Sheikah glanced back to the red-haired, shaking his head ever so slightly. "This is different… Link really doesn't like violence against people, even scum like this." He nodded down to one of the knights. "Two times already he has hesitated to strike down another person, despite his attackers being very willing to harm him."

Vahn looked back at Link again, this time a baffled look plastered on his face. "That's… not normal. He is the Hero of Time, right?" He asked the non-question to Sheik, who still did nod at him. "We've been in this war for almost eight years… how did he survive all of this without poking someone with his sword?"

'Because he was frozen in time…' The instant response came to Sheik's mind, but instead of replying to Vahn's question, the Sheikah just closed his eyes and sighed.

"We should go… It won't take long for Link to grow bored and start yelling at us." Sheik said, turning his attention back to the faint horse trails running along at the opposite side from where they came from.

Straightening himself up, Vahn looked at Link and snorted. "Yeah, that I can picture Link doing." He bounced cheerily behind Sheik, both of them leaving behind the wreckage to get their Hero back.

* * *

After accompanying Vahn to retrieve his belongings, the group of adventures followed in the shadows of the Knight's trails. Deciding to not waste their energies completely in a hurried march, they continued at a fast-strolling pace, with Sheik once again leading the charge with his skills and experience in tracking people.

This small travel lasted long enough for the sun to rise tall enough to wash away the cold morning breeze with a soothing wave of warmth. Even still, there is little sunlight properly passing by the heavy grey clouds, giving a strange sensation that the day is almost at the very late afternoon.

"This is it. Their trail ends here." Sheik declared, stepping over the heavy hoofprints left by the horses. Looking left and right, took little time for him to find the owners of these trails; a group of armored horses left alone next to a parch of very tall grass. "Without the horses, their trail is a lot lighter and more difficult to follow… but not impossible."

Walking past Sheik, Link brought one hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the barely existent sunlight. "Is that the secret entrance you spoke about?" He gave a short glance to Vahn and then looked back to the base of the mountain some meters away from them. "Doesn't look very secret to me."

As Link said, at the very base of the Death Mountain, the area almost too close to Hyrule's fallen capital city for comfort, lies a very large and deformed hole. Not hidden by grass or rocks to be called secret by anyone.

Having a hard time matching the Hero's ridiculously good eyesight, Vahn frowned deeply to try and get a look at the ugly cave entrance. "That's not right…" He grumbled quietly. Taking a small notebook from his bag, he flipped through a few pages and then shook his head. "According to master's notes, the entrance is hidden to anyone that doesn't have a connection to the Royal Family." He turned the book over to Link and Sheik, then tapped at a fairly good drawn sketch of a rocky door. "Look, his notes point to a sacred door… not a gaping hole."

"Whatever sacred door blocked their way was obviously destroyed by the Dark Knights…" He narrowed his eyes and then nodded. "By the disfigured way that hole looks they most likely bombed this door into pebbles."

A vicious snarl escaped the young Chronicler, an expression that doesn't match his pretty face. "What kind of animal would destroy something so ancient and important like that?"

"The kind that holds nothing as sacred." Feeling a bit of sympathy for the boy's outrage, Sheik felt his hands tighten into fists in anger. "Let's hasten our pace. We are very close to the Tyrant's minions and what they seek here."

"Race you two there!" Shouting cheerily in his outburst, Link true to this word raced as fast as the wind towards the open cavern, leaving an awestruck Vahn and unamused Sheik to follow behind the trail of dust he left behind.

Jumping like a happy puppy about how well of a job he has done, Link waited for the other two with a huge grin on his face; skipping from one side to the other in front of the cave.

After strolling his way to the odd passage, Sheik stopped right next to Link and gave him a soft glance; the blue-eyed blond returning his gaze with a bright smile. Then, the Sheikah kneeled beside the cracked and blackened edge of the unnatural-made entrance and reached to a small piece of metal laying on the ground.

Rubbing his bandaged fingers against the crooked and sharpened edge of the small piece, Sheik brought it closer to his nose and got the faint smell of sulfur. "My assumption was correct. This is a fragment of a bomb they used to blow this wall open."

Stepping a few paces down to the side, Vahn crouched next to a parched clump of grass. Taking a shattered piece of the ancient door in his hands, the young red-haired sighed and brushed the dust and black spots from the carved Royal Symbol painted in red. "Such a waste…" He whispered softly to himself, grieving for the loss of a cultural piece of history that will never come back.

Working fast in the spur of the moment, Sheik pulled a roll of spare bandages from his pouch, together with a small bottle of an oily-liquid. Then, taking a piece of hard dry wood he found lying around on the ground, he made a make-shift torch on the fly.

"Care to lead the way?" He raised the torch towards Link, who glanced down and grabbed it with his right hand.

Repeating one trick he has performed before, Sheik snapped his fingers against the moist bandage, creating a flickering flame out of nowhere.

Staring at the red-eyed blond in awe, like every other time the Sheikah does something out of the ordinary, Link raised the torch and pushed it against the darkness of the damp narrow passage.

"Gh… *cough* This will not be very fun… *cough*." Squeezing himself inside the tunnel, Link quickly disappeared in favor of a darkened silhouette with the wavering glow of his torch getting farther and farther away with each step he takes.

"Vahn," Sheik called out the spacing red-haired young man. Recognizing the look of hurt and sadness in those emerald eyes looking back at him, Sheik waved one hand at him and offered a sympathetic look. "There are people you can still save. But only if we move with haste."

"Y-You're right…" Vahn replied with a weak nod. Giving one last glance at the ancient piece of stonework resting in his hands, he put the broken fragment down on the grass with care and respect, to then raise back to his feet and squint the little glistering glow appearing in the corner of his eyes. "I should focus on what's more important right now… At least in the hope that we can find them in time."

As Vahn walked past him, Sheik raised his hand and surprised the boy by ruffling his bird-nest of a hair. It was a gentle but stiff touch, a bit awkward as if the Sheikah had never done something quite like this.

"Borrowing some words Link would probably say… We will find them, I promise you." Despite the turban, bandages, and mask hiding most of his face, a little streak of red could still be seen on his pale skin. "J-Just… let's go before Link stumbles across some sort of trouble only he can find."

Watching a mildly bashful Sheik turn his back and march in hurried pace inside the dark passage, Vahn felt a warm smile tug at his lips, then a little wave of giggles escaped him over the awkward but sincere attempt of the blond ninja into cheering him up. "Thank you… Sheik, Link. I'm so very lucky to have found you two." He then giggled again. "Even though it's more like you guys found me instead."

* * *

"Is that… light?" After treading in the dark in silence for so long, Link's voice came out as a bit raspy and low, which still surprised the other two at the sound of something that was not dust and pebbled crunching under their feet. "Look, right ahead of us." He waved his torch in said direction.

Squeezing his head between Sheik and Link, Vahn narrowed his eyesight enough to almost shut his eyes close. Even then he couldn't see anything but darkness in front of him. "Do you have owl-eyes or something? I can't see anything over there."

Before the very spirited red-haired could slip his way past the hero, a firm hand grasped him by the shoulder. "Shhh…" Sheik shushed him with a stern look. "There are vibrations in the air…" He whispered, making the other two trade glanced and them look back at him again.

"Voices?" Link asked, surprising Sheik with the very insightful remark coming from the usual dorky-head young man.

"Precisely. We should tread with the utmost care from now onwards," Sheik nodded his head forward, asking Link to continue the tiresome stride.

As Link pointed with the light source and Sheik on the voices, they finally arrived at the end of this gruesome dark passage. Since they first stepped inside this place, they have walked for a distance that feels twice the walk from the fallen capital to the isolated town of Kakariko.

To add more hurdle to their small journey, more than three sets of ladders were found in this darkness; with one of them so old, weak, and bruised that Link was forced to use his Hookshot to climb to the top with a strong cord attached to his waist giving the other two some way to follow the hero up the wall.

"Is just me or it is getting really warm out of a sudden?" Vahn whined quietly, pulling the collar of his shirt to ventilate a bit of air in.

"Sshhh." Sheik shushed him again, making the green-eyed boy glare at him. "Link?" He diverted his attention to the hero, who is pressed against a very dark structure blocking their way.

Waving his hand to his companions, Link pressed his hand against the heavy surface. One quick and careful push was enough to make the stone groan and shift ever so slightly forward, letting a very thin ray of light seep inside the dark passageway.

"Wherever this is… we're here." Link said in a hushed voice.

***THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP***

Crashing the silence into a thing of the past, a violent wave of heavy noises flew from within the other side. It sounds as if something very heavy and very fast is bouncing wildly against the floor, considering the fluctuation in with the sounds comes and go, what is the cause of it is going in circles in its routine.

"THAT THING ESCAPED AGAIN?!" One very furious shout echoed from the other side of the wall, startling Link and Vahn into a straighter stance. "STOP THAT ACCURSED GORON! USE YOUR SPEAR TO NAIL IT AGAINST THE GROUND IF YOU HAVE TO!"

At the enraged cries of a vile person, any consideration to cautiousness flew right out of Link's head. Practically bashing himself against the heavy sliding wall, he pushed it open in one go, revealing in its fully the second-lowest level of the Goron City.

"Link!" Sheik tried to reach the blond hero before he could give away their presence, but his effort went completely fruitless as Link sprinted at full speed behind a dark-yellow ball rolling wildly from the two aggressors running after it.

"Oi!? Who in the blazes is that?" One very riled cry startled Sheik's attention away from Link's retreating form. "Do we have another escapee?"

At least five knights are standing at the corner end of the main staircase leading to the upper floors of the city. The one standing in front, owner of the livid shout, is pointing his broadsword at Sheik's direction, directing his companion's attention to the intruder.

"Great, a whole squad of them…" Sheik cursed his luck and a little bit Link's recklessness that landed them in this predicament.

Pulling his short sword from its sheath at his waist and taking hold of a sharp dagger in his left hand, the young Sheikah fully stepped out from the passage where he came from, doing his best to hide the other person still hiding in there.

"Stay here." He whispered an order to Vahn without looking back at him. "No matter what you see, stay hidden until Link comes back or when I'm done dealing with them."

Spinning his dagger at the palm of his hand, Sheik snatched at its handle as soon as the weapon rotated until its tip pointed down and backward in his hold. Weaving two sets of steps forward with unparallel grace, the young Sheikah began to move in a way that almost made it seem as if he was disappeared and reappearing in quick succession; moving closer and closer to the group of soldiers at each flicker of his image.

Owning up to the challenge presented by the fast-moving warrior, one of the Dark Knights holding a very long broadsword walked forward.

Swinging his black-painted weapon in the air, the invading knight whirled his upper body to put all this strength in his strike.

Sliding effortlessly beneath the ringing sweep of the heavy weapon, Sheik pushed the tip of his short sword against the large dull side of the knight's sword, reflecting the oppressive weapon in a messy crash against the wall.

Growling like an enraged Moblin, the Knight pulled his weapon from the spot it got stuck. "You little shi—ARGGH!" As his cursing was slipping past his lips, a flash of metal flew across his face, knocking the metallic helmet up in the air. "M-My eye! ARRGGHH, I CAN'T SEE!"

Completely disregarding his weapon and the position he finds himself in, the blue-haired dark knight brought one hand to his left eye, screaming in utter agony as lines of blood seeps from the gaps between his armored fingers.

Rushing headfirst in the rescue of his fellow soldier, the other four knights ran in front of him, swinging their weapons wildly in an embarrassing uncoordinated attempt of overwhelming their enemy.

Easily dodging each seeking blade coming his way, Sheik rolled and then leaped far away from the group. Reading his weapon in front of him at the hint of two soldiers stepping forward to sprint after him.

"Hold your ground, morons!" One of the knights yelled before the other two rushed in. "Look properly at your enemy. See the red-eye in his tunic? That one is a Sheikah. Can't take one of those freaks alone. Together we move, we circle and we finish him."

'How cute… he knows about my people.' Sheik allowed himself a short grin, feeling rather flattered to be recognized and feared by the goons of the Tyrant.

As boldly announced by the one in command, the group of four knights began to march at a synchronized pace. Not one of them took a step ahead of the other, all bearing their weapons high and ready to strike.

Glancing at each member of the incoming group, Sheik studied and analyzed each of them to the best of his ability in the limited time he has. Looking for any weakness or blind spot at the formation.

It was with the man standing at the edge of their group, right beside the ledge of this current level of the city, that he found the opening he was looking for. Little space to maneuver and how he favors the left foot in opposition to his right one.

A clear scenario played in Sheik's head, and as soon as he confirmed the possibility of following through with it, he acted.

Throwing his dagger in a sharp angle towards his target, Sheik made the man jump to the side, bashing himself against the soldier at his left. This made a cascading effect where the other two had to stand firmly to keep the tilting men from losing their footing.

One flimsy mistake that would cost dearly for all of them.

Reaching with his now free hand to the pouch at his waist, Sheik pulled out a small Deku nut.

Three steps away from their striking range, Sheik leaped as far high as the ceiling of this level, doing a nimble flip in mid-air as he tossed the Deku Nut in the middle of the four men group.

Blinding light exploded from the impact of the small nut, forcing the knights to shut their eyes close and shield their faces with one arm.

Moving silently between the ringing noise plaguing these men's ears, Sheik broke in their ranks like a soft breeze of wind. His retaliation, however, was akin to a powerful gush of a hurricane.

One slash upwards and he opened a terrible gash in between the gap of one soldier's helmet and his plate armor; a messy blow but painful death as the terror-stricken man reached for his bleeding throat.

Slinging his arm backward, his short sword flew in the opposite direction of its first target. Performing with a Sheikah's unnatural precision, Sheik left a ghastly perforation at the center of the second soldier's chest, instantly ending his life.

As the paralyzing effect of the Deku Nut began to fade from the remaining members of the knights. Their leader had only a split second to open his eyes and see the blurry image of a sharp object coming his way.

Working in pure instinct he swatted Sheik's sword away with his own weapon. Then in an effort to gain space to evaluate his position, he took a firm step to the left. Only to almost slip and fall at the floor stained with blood.

The sight of two of his men lying dead brought an urgent sense of danger to the acting leader of the knights. Any of his previous battle-stoicism washed away by strong self-preserving hysteria.

Reaching forward with one hand, the knight tried to grab the Sheikah in his hold. As his fingers clasped into nothing but air, his entire body jerked forward to power the force of his right arm thrust.

Sliding in a gracious arc beneath the knight's sword, Sheik simply let the crazed attack fly past him. His ruby eye already locked onto the next target of his strike. One very quick and powerful slash with his short sword and the leader of these hateful men will follow their fate.

However, before his right arm could properly push upwards in a swing, the man standing left of him aimed his halberd at the Sheikah's leg.

At the split-second decision between continuing his attack and probably losing one of his legs as a result. Sheik clicked his tongue in annoyance and leaped forward in time to avoid the second soldier's weapon.

"That's it! Your reach is the key to nail this cretin!" Bellowed the leader. "I'll engage the vermin head first, you cover my charge." He Branded his sword forward as he shoots wildly in a frenzied charge.

Positioning his left foot back to support the rest of his body, Sheik watched as the pair of knights came running towards him. The man with a sword a few steps ahead of the second one, using a basic concept to try and pincer a more agile opponent with a far-reaching weapon as that halberd.

A deep frown took hold of the young Sheikah's features, even if no one can see it behind his mask.

Something so basic and mundane serves very well in a close-up skirmish. As simplistic of a tactic as that is, in a high-pressure situation, one false move is enough for someone to lose their life. Having a gap closer as a back-up sure would serve like that and limit any normal warrior's movement against the primary target.

However, their mistake was to treat Sheik as any regular or simple opponent.

' _In a engage of two fighters branding two swords… how many weapons do you have?'_ For a brief moment, Impa's teachings echoed in Sheik's thoughts. A lesson his aunt and master drilled very fervently in his head.

Matching the knights' charge with his own, Sheik met the sword-wielding man in a lock of blades. Crossing blows in two quick successions, as they parried and deflected each other's attack.

As more than expected the second knight jumped at the first opportunity to try and plunge the tip of his weapon onto the Sheikah's back.

This last act was their most severe and fatal mistake.

As the long halberd came flying with the ringing sound of air being pierced harshly by metal. Sheik whirled his body in a blurring speed, quickly weaving soundless steps from the spot in between the two knights to the back of the second one.

Jumping high in a spinning motion, the young Sheikah kicked the branding arm of the soldier, pushing his momentum twice harder as he had intended, hurling his attack directly at his commanding officer.

Before either of them could comprehend what transpired in front of them, the knight's halberd tore a wide hole at his companion's chest, exploding blood and metal pieces behind the man.

Then, as he fell onto the floor with one foot, Sheik took another nimble jump towards the last standing knight.

Took little more than a slash of his short blade to separate the man's head from his shoulder, propelling the heavy body to crash harshly against the blood-soaked tile floor.

As the last of his opponents lays neutralized on the floor, Sheik brushed the thin layer of sweat forming on his exposed forehead. Letting out a long breath, a form to cool down his body and leave the battle trance he always enters in a situation like this, his attention changed to the other end of this long circular floor.

"Where has Link gone t-"

A heavy force came from behind him unexpectedly, catching Sheik completely out of bounds.

His lips trembled and opened to let out a pained cry as his chest crashed against the floor and something very heavy and hard pressed his head against the bloody tileset.

"You're my little bitch to kill now, freak!" Snarled an angry and shaky voice; one that Sheik recognized as the first knight he had engaged.

Fighting with all of his strength, Sheik could only raise his head long enough to turn to the side and see the tall armored man sitting on top of him with a sword already aimed at his back, ready to deliver a finishing blow.

"Never killed a Sheikah or whatever the blazes you are." The man said with contempt, delivering a very forceful punch at the back of the slim ninja's body beneath him, who bit his lips fiercely to stifle his pained voice from coming out. "Let's see what your head will earn me with the big boss himself!"

Letting out a triumphant guffaw, the dark-clad soldier swung his arm down with the full intention of slaying his opponent.

Closing his eyes in expectation of the excruciating pain tearing at his torse, Sheik gasped in surprise when a loud sound of a muffled explosion came from above him; suddenly all the painful weight sitting upon him lifted off into nothing.

Rolling his back against the ground, Sheik poised his sword to defend himself, waiting for the knight to come at him again.

Yet, where he expected to see a towering figure coming towards him with a vile snarl in its face. His ruby eye only saw a light-blue spinning disk flying above him and returning to the waiting hands of a red-haired young man.

Taking a longer look at where the disk came from, Sheik saw a very nasty crater at the hard-stone wall of the stairs with a broken body at its center. Only then he could fully realize what happened at the moment where he would've been killed.

"I told you to stay hidden…" He breathed out to Vahn, giving the other boy a very stern look.

"Seriously?" Vahn cried back, frowning at the blond. "Not even a 'thank you' for saving your butt or something?" He angrily waved his metallic blue disk, pointing the strange object at Sheik in indignation.

Shaking his head, Sheik jumped to his feet and casually walked over to Vahn. "No time for that. We've to find Link."

At least this declaration was something Vahn could nod his head and concur. "I saw him running all the way to the other side of that bridge thing." He pointed to the only part of his floor that is hidden behind outside walls. "There were two of the tin-heads in front of him. Think he caught up with them?"

"That's what will have to find out." Sheik replied stiffly, poising himself to run after Link. Yet his curiosity held him back enough to point down at the strange weapon his red-haired companion is holding. "What kind of weapon is that? A boomerang?"

A proud little smile flashed at Vahn's lips as he showed his disk to Sheik. "Incorrect. This one here is a Chakram. And it's a special one." Spinning his chakram with more aptitude than Sheik thought him to have, Vahn conjured an unknown shining glyph above his sparkly disk. "Told you. I have a little gift with magic. I can't cast spells like warlocks or mages, but with this Chakram, I can use the power of ancient glyphs to emulate similar effects. Pretty cool, huh?"

Sheik smiled softly behind his mask. "A very interesting and useful ability," His gaze trailed to the deep crater Vahn made with his shining weapon. "Useful indeed… But you can share more about it at a later time. For now, let's focus on getting to Link."

Nodding his head yet again, Vahn unmade his glyph and put his Chakram away.

After leaving a trail of knights behind them, all that is left is to find their runaway hero. And then maybe get to the bottom of the Dark Knight's ploys.

Still, even with a lot occupying his thoughts at the moment. Sheik couldn't help but feel the strange quietness flowing inside this place. The lack of Gorons walking these halls is already a worrying sign, but not a single cry for help after all that commotion in the middle of their city.

Something really bad is about to happen, and every single one of his Sheikah's instincts is warning him this.


	13. Bolero of Fire

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 13 - Bolero of Fire_ **

* * *

Link has never paid attention to the minute details involved in battles. Sound, image, or even tact. Fighting always came as natural to him, ever since his younger years of Deku Baba hunting.

It never occurred to him how mind-numbing the echoes of battle can be. At least until now.

At each bash of the soldier's sword at his shield, his whole arm twitches as his ears tingle with the overwhelming sound rushing over him. With his entire focus directed at the other soldier running up ahead, this close-up exchange feels a lot more stressful and infuriating than anything Link has faced before.

His opponent is not even remotely close to being a match for him. The difference between them is so enormous, that despite the relentless assault coming from the dark-armored knight, Link has yet to draw his sword. Only matching the man's blows with the body of his shield.

This apparent lack of respect for the knight's strength is driving the man crazy. He snarls, curses, and screams at each strike, desperately trying to urge the blond to take up his sword.

From the corner of his eyes, the Hero saw the knight up ahead finally catching up to the rolling ball; instantly a dark frown dawns at the hero's expression.

Using the pole of his spear, the knight bashed the poor small Goron out from that curling form, cornering them in the corner.

Raging anger flared up inside Link's chest, his frown deepening, his teeth gritting painfully tight.

At the same moment, the sword-wielding knight jumped upon the hero again, lashing out with three more vicious strikes crashing heavily against the Hylian Shield.

"Stop running, blondie." Snarled the man on top of Link. "Keep holding back, I'll carve a nice little scar on that pretty face of yours."

The knight's hateful voice sounded little more than background noise to Link. His blue eyes practically glued to the exchange just ahead of him, his boots grinding against the floor almost with a will of their own to run forward.

However, with the soldier still pinning him in place, Link is growing ever more frustrated with the situation. His self-control starting to give in, losing ground to the now-familiar sense of fog that tries to overwhelm his thoughts.

"STOP IGNORING ME, YOU CRETIN!" Howled the swordsman, as he once again threw all his strength into another blow.

' _ **Kill... him...'**_ The dark and familiar voice whispered with sweet words despite their grim meaning.

"I'll gut you!"

' _ **They are little more than ants… born only to be stepped over…'**_ At each little word, Link felt his right-hand twitching, inching ever closer to the handle of the Master Sword.

Shaking his head from side to side, he reigned in the urge that would destroy his heart later. "No…" He said softly, almost like a whimper.

' _ **KILL THEM!'**_ Like lightning crashing in the storm,the booming voice overwhelmed the hero's senses. A pair of red-eyes flashing in the mind-scape of Link's thoughts, peering down at his own self.

However, as strong as this feeling of ache in his chest has become, Link managed to regain his sense of control. Forcing his thoughts away from that dark corner of his mind, toward the memory of a smile that certain red-eyed blond had shared with him.

Little by little, the fog and darkness started to fade away. Giving clarity and space for Link to regain his upper hand in the 'battle' against the dark knight.

Determined to disarm the other man only with his shield, Link calmly turned his attention to the now fuming man.

"Is the little blondie girl tired of running?" Said the knight, readying his sword for another strike.

Despite the urgency still beating in his heart, Link allowed himself a short mocking grin. "Are you tired of tickling my shield?"

Link's word had an instant effect at the man's composure, only a glance to the open part of his helmet, and anyone would see the furious beet-red tone of his face.

"You… CHEEKY FUCKER!" Jumping in a furious charge, the dark knight threw not only his sword but his entire body onto Link. Practically a suicide leap if Link was willing to take up his sword and strike back.

"WAAAAHH!" A cry filled with pain and distress echoed from behind Link, the tip of his pointy ears twitching startled by the sound.

Disregarding the man falling onto him, Link turned his head only to catch a glance at the tip of a spear painted with blood.

After that sight, there was no more color in Link's vision. No more sounds to his ears, no more whispers in his head. Only a very faint and distant echo of laughter seeping from the darkest corner of Link's mind.

"Wha-?!" The swordsman had little time before the Hylian Shied came crashing upon him like a meteor.

Struck by the sheer force of Link's bash, the knight went flying like a ragdoll towards the wall. His back crashed and bounced, sending him spinning uncontrollably down the large circular hallway.

Link's first step sounded more like the stomp of a giant beast. Even the hard stone beneath his foot cracked under its weight.

Distracted by the awful sound coming from his right, the spear-wielding knight released his hold on the small Goron he had just poked in the leg with his spear. One single glance at the blond marching his way, and the hardened soldier of Ganondorf's army dropped his weapon and turned to run.

He ran, he ran as fast as his feet would carry him. Never in his life, not even in the height of this blasted war he has seen eyes quite like that. Cold, dull, and completely merciless.

'Screw this rotting mission. A shitty reward is not worth my life.'

Reaching the turning angle of the circular hallway, a trepid smile appears on the man's lips.

However, this glint of hope disappeared behind the scream flying out of his own mouth. Something hard and cold pierced at his right shoulder, entering from the back and lodging at his skin from the front.

Looking down at the metallic tip sticking from his flesh, the knight felt a type of pain he has never experienced before, as his body got pulled backward with the ringing sound of chains.

Sparks flew from the ground, as the armored tall soldier grinded his back against the floor. Then another painful cry exploded from his mouth when the tip of the Hookshot forcefully pulled itself back from the same spot it entered his shoulder.

As the pain dulled enough for his eyes to open fully again, he saw the same blue eyes that made him run. Hovering above him, impassive and terrifying, the green-wearing blond is just there staring down at him.

"P-Please… D-Don't kill me…" The knight pleaded pathetically, a stark contrast to the oppressive voice he was using against his Goron victim.

Link, who was moving in autopilot the last few seconds, came to a full halt after dragging the knight right back to him. Still holding the Hookshot in his right hand, he can just stare down at the crying man, his fingers tightening into a fist even with the tool in their hold.

'I should put him down…' Link himself echoed the words in his head. 'Leaving this… thing alive will only harm others later.'

Letting the Hookshot slip away from his fingers and onto the ground, Link began to reach ever so slowly to the Master Sword's handle at his back. At each inch his hand moves closer to his weapon, the bigger the conviction of his decision gets.

But, before he could touch his weapon, Link heard a whimpering little sound coming from the side. There he found the small Goron curling and scared, rubbing the wound at his thin leg.

Right then all the fire vanished from Link's eyes. His right hand fell to the side, leaving the sword back in its sheath.

"F-Fuck… Thanks. I promise I will never-" As the knight began to babble without control, Link's fist came crashing on his face, knocking the lights out of him.

Forcing himself to ignore this person's existence, Link turned away from the unconscious soldier. His attention now on the shivering little Goron on the floor.

"It's… okay. You're safe now." He said calmly, reaching slowly with one hand towards the terrified child, who continued to ignore him behind quiet whimpers. "Can I look at that wound?" As Link tried to get closer to them, the juvenile Goron jumped back and yelped, hugging the wall with huge glassy eyes staring at the blond hero, absolutely frightened.

Raising both hands to show he means no harm, Link noticed the streak of blood staining the knuckles of his gloves, making him cringe. "I'll not harm you; I promise." He said gently, this time his voice getting through enough to make the Goron lower his hands and just stare at Link; his body still trembling like crazy.

Seeing the small improvement in their exchange, Link felt his lips curling into a short smile. But before they could make any more headway in their conversation, the sound of two sets of steps came from the corner of the hallway, prompting the Goron to hide his face behind his long arms again.

With just a few days passing, Link has already grown attached and accustomed to the unique warmth that comes with Sheik's presence, knowing that the blond Sheikah is the one walking towards him without even looking back to check.

As the sound of their feet pressing on the tileset came close enough, Link lowered his head and sighed. "Is that man… dead?" He asked with a tingle of remorse, remembering the grotesque way that soldier collided against the wall.

"The tin-head you left behind?" Vahn was the one to reply with a question of his own.

Link only nodded back.

A loud snort escaped Vahn, not really reading the mood in Link's voice, the young Chronicler beamed down at the hero with eyes of awe. "Can't be more dead. Dunno what you did to the guy, but his body is a pure mess." He chirped with no signs of stopping. "Never seen someone's head sitting on their own crotch like that."

"VAHN!" Sheik's yell made Vahn jump at least two feet backward, startled by the volume of the blonde's voice. He has never seen the composed Sheikah yell like that.

Reaching to Link's cherish Hookshot laying with a bloody tip on the ground, Sheik took the tool in his hand. Once again, his gentle and pure hero is hurting.  
Hunching shoulders, a look of pure self-loathing on his face.

However, as he went forward to try and put a comforting hand on Link's shoulder, Sheik hastily stopped after a glanced down.

"Link…" He called the hero, to which Link raised his head to look at him. "Your right hand."

Following the Sheikah's comment, Link glanced at his gloved right hand. And there he found the still glowing triangle, the symbol of the Triforce. His eyes that were sad and gloomy, shifted into a heavy glare down that golden figure.

Clenching his hand painfully tight, Link forced the Triforce to fade away. Looking at it again left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Every time…." He wanted to whisper just to himself, but Sheik was easily able to hear the words. "Every time that voice tries to take over, this stupid thing appears on my hand…"

"Link." Sheik frowned slightly, more than worried about the mention of this voice taking over.

However, before the Sheikah had time or space to deliberate on any question he has in his mind, two very loud outbursts overpowered him and the hero.

"LINK?!"

"THE TRIFORCE?!"

One scream; loud high-pitched voice, carrying the spark of youth and the innocence of a Goron.

The other one is just a loud, but melodic like a breeze; the singing voice characteristic of the red-haired boy.

"You're Link! The Hero of the Gorons, Destroyer of Dodongos, Honorary Goron Brother, LINK!" Changing very fast from his frightened and quiet self, the young Goron turned very energetic just with the mention of Link's name.

"By Din's fire, that was the real deal Triforce!" Vahn's enthusiasm went to one-hundred percent, his eyes practically shining with a blazing spark. "Please, pleaseeee, make it come back. Link, please let me touch it at least once."

"Link!"

"Triforce!"

Quite literally jumped by both the Goron and Vahn, Link fell with his back on the floor. More than overwhelmed by their pleas and cries; with Vahn rubbing his cheek against Link's right hand, and the small Goron giving one of their rock crushing hugs, pressing themselves against the hero's abdomen.

Stiffen frozen with confusion, Link looked at Sheik with desperate eyes, screaming silently for help.

Feeling rather glad for the change in their mood, Sheik decided to let Link suffer a little bit more under their adoring chants.

It wouldn't be right to pass one chance to tease the hero, would it?"

* * *

"Boy, oh boy! I can't believe I'm speaking with the Link!" Now with their wounded leg cared for and wrapped with a thin layer of bandages, the young Goron is excitedly wobbling around Link. Big purplish eyes shining with adoration. "Papa always speaks of you. The legend of a brave boy who saved all the Gorons!"

"Your papa?" Vahn chirped in with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah, my father. Darunia!" The little Goron responded. "He and everyone here knows about this story. You know, my name is Link too! In honor of our hero!" Goron Link glanced at blond Link and smiled. "That's why I want to be strong and brave, just like Link!"

"Link," Sheik called, and the hero hummed a reply at him. "No… erh… Goron Link." This time the small Goron responded with some happy noises. "Can you tell us what happened here? We heard those bad men yelling that you had escaped. Where are the rest of your people?"

A soft whimper escaped the young Goron, his gaze falling to his hands joined together in front of him. "The servants of Ganondorf took them. We were living our lives like normal… I was just eating a very delicious rock when I heard all the screams. They took everyone to the inside of the mountain. I… I… could just hide and watch during all of it."

Sheik nodded his head softly and continued. "If they took everyone into the mountain core, why were still so many of them here? Did they know there was at least one of you hiding still?"

"Oh… I remember, yes. They didn't take everyone inside, only all the Gorons they snatched." Goron Link rubbed the side of his head as he spoke. "While Papa fought all the way to try and rescue everyone, there was that guy from the shop place hiding like a coward."

"You were hiding too, no?" Vahn said with a little grin.

"I'm small, he is a big Goron!" Rebutted the very offended chubby small Link.

"If Link saved your people seven years ago, it means he was small back then too." At this point Vahn was saying this just to irk the little Goron, which worked very well, the kid is glaring daggers at him.

Pitching the bridge of his nose, Sheik took a long breath and tried to continue his talk with the Goron. "It's okay, Link. No one expects you to face an army of soldiers on your own. Now, can you tell us if anyone else escaped Ganondorf's minions?"

Small Link raised his chin in a very pensive way, scratching the top of his head while doing it. "Well… I don't think they really escaped the bad men. But I saw some Hylians locked in a room on the lower level. I guess they were left there while the bad guys moved to the mountain. That would explain the few that stayed here."

"That would indeed…." Sheik replied calmly, giving a glance at Vahn who has a very hopeful look in his eyes. "Can you take us to where you saw the Hylians?"

"Sure." Curling himself into a ball, Goron Link began to casually roll away into one of the stairways leading to the bottom level.

"I… I can't believe it." Vahn said quietly, taking one hand to his mouth. "You think master and everyone else is safe like the little Link said?"

"He has no reason to lie." Link, the tall blond one, replied this time. "The Knights wanted your master as a hostage to reach the Goron City. I can't see why they would keep a close eye on them after that."

Sheik nodded quietly, sharing the hero's opinion.

"What about him?" Vahn pointed one finger at the soldier knocked down on the floor. "Should we…"

Link winced, his heavy frown returning. "We bind his arms and legs. He should be judged by the people he wronged, not us…"

"Someone will have to patch him up, then." The red-haired commented. "That wound in his shoulder looks nasty." Promptly his jade eyes shifted to the Sheikah with folded arms at his side.

Noticing the look he is getting from Vahn, Sheik snorted and frowned himself. "I am NOT touching that scum."

A low sigh flew past Link's lips as he searched for something to secure the man's limbs. "We bind him… Even if I don't like saying this, we let fate decide his future." Gently accepting the firm roll of rope that Sheik produced from somewhere, Link moved over to the knight. "Maybe someone will show him the mercy he has not shown to others."

After doing at least three knots on the hands and then at the ankles of the unconscious man, Link casually lifted him, resting the man over his shoulder. Making Vahn and Sheik share a baffled look with each other.

"Isn't that… heavy?" Vahn asked. Referencing the fact that Link, despite being tall and athletic, is carrying a man bigger than him and still dressed in full plate armor.

"A bit." Was the hero's short reply. "Come, the little guy is waiting for us."

Nesting the way too heavy luggage in a secure spot on his shoulder, Link quietly began to pace forward, following after the rolling ball that disappeared down the stairs.

* * *

"Oh by the grace of Farore's light… It's so good to see you again, Vahn my boy."

As soon as Vahn stepped inside the small confine room, he found himself tackled by his grizzled master.

"We feared for your life, son." One of Vahn's scholar companions waved at him, a disheartened small smile resting on his lips.

Pulling back from his master awkward hug, the young Chronicler noticed not only the depressing mood settling in the room but also the lack of another person's presence here.

"Master, what's wrong?" Vahn asked, shifting his gaze back to the balding old man in front of him. Those tired old eyes shifting downward in sadness.

"Nóbi… They killed Nóbi." Losing the strength on his legs, the old Chronicler master fell with his knees on the ground, his battered robes more than dirty enough by all his ordeal to stay unchanged with the constant rubbing against the dusty floor.

Despite the numerous complaints and fights he had with the aging men, Vahn never wished any bad on his companions. Learning about the fate of the air-headed Nóbi made his chest hurt like someone was squeezing his heart with an iron grip.

"How… Why?" Vahn's words hovered in the air, his pained eyes going from one man to the other.

"When they exploded the wall at the feet of the mountain." His fellow apprentice replied, as their master felt too overwhelmed by the memories to answer. "When it happened, everyone got blasted out of our feet. Those ignorant fools can't even calculate the radius of a bomb's explosion. Nóbi was the first one to get up on his feet. He reached for one of the Knights' swords and… and…"

"He tried to fight back." Their master said. "The fool. He thought, he alone could brand a sword and threaten those thugs to release us." Taking both hands to his face, the old man sobbed quietly. "One of them pierced his chest with a spear… Those monsters didn't even have the decency to bury his body. They tossed Nóbi into the river and forced us to enter into that horrible tunnel."

"The cruelty of Ganondorf's army has no bounds. I am deeply sorry for your loss." A serious and calm voice sounded from the open door, making the two scholars notice the other presence they had yet to acknowledge.

Shifting uncomfortably in his spot, the other apprentice raised a suspicious eye at the masked man standing over the entrance. "W-Who are you?"

"It's okay, Ledhal. They are friends." Vahn raised a hand in reassurance as he walked over to Sheik and Link. "They found me in our camp. In fact, they rescued me from the tin-heads they left there." Standing between both blonds, the small red-haired tugged at their arms and smiled, even if faintly. "This is Link and Sheik. They helped me find you guys here, and even took care of the tin-heads patrolling this place."

"Goddesses be praised…. Is this nightmare over?" Ledhal, the grey-haired apprentice pressed his hands together in prayer, his shoulders deflating of all their tension.

"You're safe now sir." Sheik said with a short nod, giving very much needed peace to the fatigued man.

"Y-You… young man…" Vahn's master slowly raised from the ground, his gravel eyes staring shakily towards Sheik. "Are you perhaps… a Sheikah?"

Instantly Sheik frowned under his mask. It was not the question that made him react like this, it was the look of fear and the shaky waving of the old man's voice.

Closing his eyes to dissipate his own turmoil, Sheik nodded in reply.

At the confirmation of Sheik's heritage, not only the old master's fears became apparent but of his apprentice as well. Ledhal, who was preparing himself to stand up and leave, suddenly cowered back in his corner.

'Typical of Hylians…' The young Sheikah vented in his thoughts.

However, before his temper could worsen or Link's for this matter who watched both men slide away from Sheik like he was some kind of monster, Vahn broke the tension with an ear-piercing screech.

"YOU ARE A SHEIKAH?!" Skipping around the red-eyed blond like a spring let loose, Vahn clearly doesn't share the fear of his other two scholar companions. "I knew something was different about you. GAAAH! I'm so dumb! Look at this." He tapped the giant red eye in Sheik's chest. "It was right here, looking at my face quite literally all this time. I can't believe I've been traveling with a surviving Sheikah and The Hero of Time. This is beyond amazing."

"Hero of Time?!" At the same time, both grey-haired men looked at each other, echoing the same words.

"YOU BET!" Screaming ever so loudly again, Vahn jumped in front of Link, raising both hands in the blonde's direction. "Link here is the fabled Hero of Time. And before you two start berating me on trusting things without evidence, I SAW THE TRIFORCE ON HIS HAND WITH MY OWN EYES!"

Ignoring the two blonds almost completely, the three Chroniclers jumped into a heated argument in a world of their own. The two older scholars debating the implications of these revelations, while Vahn is practically shouting his own opinions on the matter.

Sheik, who feels too stunned by the short red-haired boy's antics, felt a gentle tap at his arm. Glancing at Link, who has a cheeky little smile on his lips, he quirked an eyebrow.

"I told you not everyone is the same." Link said. "Vahn sounds very happy about you being a Sheikah."

Sheik snorted, rolling his eyes a bit. "That boy is not normal, he is almost the very definition of being quirky actually."

"Does it matter?" Link replied with shrug. "Normal or not, there are still people willing to accept what's different. You know what… I like him even more now."

Looking back at their loud new friend, Sheik felt his dissatisfaction disappear. He even allowed a small smile to press against his mask. 'That little loud-mouth does know how to grow on people.'

"Sheik… can you watch them for a while?" Link said in a quiet request, his tone regaining its serious edge.

The Sheikah glanced at the hero feeling a certain uneasiness at those words. "Would you mind explaining why?"

"I'll go rescue the Gorons… Alone." Link stated with finality, no room for argument.

"Absolutely not." Sheik's reply was even firmer as he turned to face Link.

"Sheik… I have to. This will be way more dangerous than what we did here." Link explained.

Folding his arms against his chest, the young Sheikah didn't look convinced. "More reason for me to watch your back."

"You don't understand, there is this feeling I've about it-"

Before Link could try to stand his point in exasperation, a little chubby form walked in between them.

"You guys can't go in there…" Goron Link said while picking his nose. "It's too hot for not Gorons to enter."

"Well, you said those Dark Knights went in there." Link said back.

"Weird right?" Goron Link said as he scratched his head. "Papa always told me that no other people could go in there but us Goron… AAAHH! I know!" His sudden shout startled even the three scholars arguing in the back, making them change their attention to him. "The Goron from the Shop. He knows how to make magic work on clothes, makes them not catch on fire. Maybe the bad men have someone who can do magic too?"

"They have more than one…" Sheik answered, thinking of the various warlocks under Ganondorf's command. "Link, do you think this Goron friend of yours can help us enter the center of the mountain?"

"If you have those shinning Rupees, he can." Little Link's childish features turned into a funny frown. "That Goron can turn water into rocks if someone pays him to do it."

"Then we go visit mister shop Goron." Blond Link said with a sheepish smile. "His shop is still that one room close to your father's chamber?"

"Mm, yeah." Goron Link said nonchalantly, returning to his important task of picking his nose.

"Master… I want to go with them." Vahn announced boldly, to the horror of the older scholars.

"Vahn, my boy. That is not a place for people like us." His master pleaded. "Aside from the evil soldiers, there are dark creatures inside this volcano. The writings said so."

"I know, but isn't this what are we suppose to do?" Vahn argued back. "We preserve and write down history. I just think, that maybe I should be studying the present instead of focusing only on the past. And what better way of learning today's history than follow the only person at the center of it all."

"Are you sure about this?" This time Sheik was the one asking him. "We reached your colleagues. The path for your freedom is open. If you follow us, it will only be more dangerous."

At his side, Link snorted quietly at the irony of Sheik's warning.

Looking down at his hands and then up towards Sheik again, Vahn smiled and nodded. "For the first time in my life. I feel absolutely certain of something. I want to be with you guys… if you let me."

"That's stupid." Link's words echoed in the room, heavy like a wall of bricks. Vahn looked at him with wide eyes, almost tearing up. "You don't need to ask anything Vahn. You are a friend. Even if I still don't want NEITHER of you coming with me, I will never turn you away."

"Link…" Biting his quivering lips, Vahn's quietness lasted only long enough for Sheik to raise an eyebrow at him. Not long after he sprinted across the room, to bash himself against Link's chest. "You're the best. Both of you!"

Gently pealing Vahn away from Link's body, by grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. Sheik dropped him on his feet and sighed. "We appreciate your person as well. Now let us meet this Shop Goron. Time is more than wasting."

Turning on his heels, the blond Sheikah walked out of the room dragging away with him chubby Link, who just stared confusedly at his tall blond hero.

"Mister Hero…" Vahn's master called out to Link, who did his best to not roll his eyes after being called mister again. "I beg of you to take care of young Vahn. He is a smart boy, but very reckless in his curiosity."

"Look who's talking…" Vahn grumbled quietly in the side.

"You have my word, erh…"

"Phô… My name is Phô."

"You have my word, Master Phô. I will do everything to keep Vahn safe and sound." Giving one glance to the bronze-skinned boy, Link grinned and continued. "Even if I'll have to tie him up sometimes."

"Not funny…" Vahn grumbled again, this time his cheek growing slightly reddish.

"Then, may the Goddesses watch over you, Link." Adjusting his sitting position to cross his legs on top of each other, Master Phô rubbed his beard and chuckled. "But I guess they are already watching you, isn't that right. Hero of Time."

Giving back a good-hearted shrug, Link smiled and bowed his head ever so slightly. With one last wave of his hand, he turned and left the room.

"Vahn…" Phô now called out to his apprentice, who glanced at him with bittersweet eyes. "Take care of yourself out there, my boy."

"I will master. But this isn't a goodbye, well at least not forever. When this is all over, I will come to find you guys and share everything I learned." As he spoke, Vahn felt a few involuntary tears come to his eyes, which he quickly brushed away with the back of his hand.

"And I will be eagerly waiting for that day." Giving one last long look at his young apprentice, Phô nodded and waved the boy away. "Go to your friends. They seemed to be in a hurry."

"Until another day; Master, Ledhal…" Vahn bowed to both his master and his fellow apprentice.

"Goddesses watch over you, Vahn." Ledhal bowed back, despite still be sitting on the floor.

As the young man he has known for more than ten years ran away and left the room, old Master Phô felt a tug in his chest. Still, a warm smile found its way to his lips. "Your grandfather would be proud of you, young Vahn. That he would…"

* * *

"Welcome to my shop. Feel free to browse anything you want, but just take what you'll buy." Living to its fullest the persona of a Shop owner, the big Goron welcomed the trio inside his building with a friendly smile on his face.

Sheik and Vahn eyed the man suspiciously, a little wary of his easygoing tone despite the peril of his people.

Link on the other hand just walked in with a friendly expression of his own. "Good day, or afternoon… Don't know what time is now. We heard you can put some magic on our clothes that make us able to enter the mountain."

The bald Goron reached for his clean chin, rubbing it with two fingers as he studied the blond Hylian. "Let's say I could do that. It wouldn't be cheap."

Stepping forward, Sheik pulled a very heavy looking pouch that made a familiar tingling sound as he waved in front of him. "Rest assure that whatever the cost, we can cover it."

Those large purple eyes widened with a glint of greed as they dangle from one side to the other following the waving of that little bag. "Two hundred Rupees for three sets."

"We take it." Replied the Sheikah. "But I will pay it only when we see them done."

"Of course, I guarantee the quality and the effectiveness of my work." Declared the tall Goron.

"So… how does that work?" Vahn raised the question. "Do you sprinkle some dust on us or something?"

Looking down at the red-haired young man, the Goron shook his head. "Don't ask a man to share his business secrets. But to answer your question, I'll be needing your clothes to work on them. Can't put anything on them while there a person inside."

"Wait, we have to get naked?" Link asked, a funny frown on his face.

"You can always partake in our healing hot water bath while I work on them." The kind Goron promptly offered. "I'm not a Goron that likes to brags, but the hot pools of my Inn are the best in all of Hyrule."

Sheik narrowed his eyes at the smiling bald yellowish man. "Let me guess, that would not be cheap."

The Goron looked at him with that annoying friendly smile and rubbed his hands. "It comes included with a bedroom for the night."

"Just how big is this tunnel cave of yours?" Vahn asked loudly, glancing at the doors sitting at each side on the back of the room.

While not verbally responding to the question, the big Goron looked at Vahn and gave him a thumbs up.

"Can't you work extra fast on this order?" Sheik asked in his stern tone. "This is an emergency, as you may have noticed by the state of your city."

"Sorry, I can't really spit on your shirt and protect you from molten lava heat. Takes a lot of work to make something so complicated."

"A bath doesn't sound too bad…" Link said as he raised one hand to brush the back of his head. Feeling more than dirty after a few days of running everywhere.

"Link, don't let the man swindle us out of more money." Vahn cried out, pointing one finger at the smiling Goron.

"Oh… I forgot to mention this. But I have only one pool of these special waters." Explained the Shop owner, looking a little apologetic in his mistake. "It's a public bath."

A blur of red moved across the shop, stopping right next to Link. "We should always take care of hygiene. You look a little tense and battered, Link. Maybe a healing bath will do us very well." One very serious looking Vahn raised this point, looking at Link with the most pristine poker face someone has ever used.

"You can use the door on the right, it leads directly to the bath." Said the Goron. "Just leave your clothes in the dressing room and I'll take them."

"We appreciate your good work, sir. Come Link, let's leave the shopman to work his magic." Wrapping his right arm in Link's left one, Vahn began to lead the blond with him towards the door.

That is until Sheik yanked him back by the collar of his shirt again. "You're not going anywhere, your sly kit."

"What?! The man said the bath is public." The red-haired complained as he tried to wiggle away from the Sheikah's grasp.

"Link will take his bath first, then we will take our turns." Sheik stated firmly.

"But I'm scared of taking baths alone." Vahn chirped, still wiggling away.

"Then I will hold your hand while WE take our bath." Sheik promptly replied.

"This is a bonding time for me and Link to strengthen our friendship." Vahn continued.

"Oh… but it seems our friendship needs more bonding time than you two." Sheik countered.

"I don't really mind… all three of us can share the pool." Link tried to put his own two rupees on the conversation, feeling a little weird by their even weirder argument.

Growing a little red in his cheeks, Sheik sighed and shook his head. "Link, please just stay quiet and go take your bath."

Still utterly confused by their behavior, Link just shrugged away at their silliness and stepped inside the room.

"Ah… You two can use the door on the left." Said the Goron, also feeling a little confused about their scuffle. "There is a spare room on the entrance, on the left side of that hall. It has towels you can use. Just leave your clothes on the door."

Taking heed of the Goron's words, Sheik dragged Vahn with him to the hall on the left. The red-haired cried and punched the air all the way, desperately doing his best to try and follow after Link.

After being shoved inside the small changing room, Vahn turned and glared at Sheik. "That was not cool."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sheik chuckled as he began to undo his complicated turban.

"Aaahhh, why couldn't we just go take a bath with him?" Vahn cried in exasperation, shooting both hands in the air.

"What's all your fascination in… taking a bath with Link?" Sheik had to berate himself for the dirty ideas that his own mind came up with after that question.

"Seriously? Have you not seen Link?" This comment still surprised the blond, despite the forthcoming Vahn is displaying non-stop since a minute ago. "Imagine taking a gander under that silly green tunic."

"A-Are you even old enough to be having thoughts like that?"

"Excuse-me? I have you know that I'm twenty years old."

Sheik almost strangled himself with his undershirt when Vahn said that. The blond was in the middle of taking his upper clothing out when he was bombarded with that revelation.

"T-Twenty?" He repeated to try and see if he heard the red-haired right.

"Yeah, why?" Vahn tilted his head as he glanced at Sheik, the red-haired practically bounced off of his clothing and is now sitting butt naked on a wooden bench. "How old are you?"

"S-Seven…teen…"

"Reeaally?"

Throwing his vest and undershirt to the side, Sheik had to take a moment to breathe and take in what he learned. 'Why does he look so young… Twenty years...'

"You know, I have a feeling that I'm the oldest of our little group." Not even one minute after and Vahn has started with his cheekiness. "You kids better pay proper respect to your elder."

A second after he had started laughing away, a shirt came flying to Vahn's face to shut him down.

After pulling that piece of soft cloth from his face, Vahn tried to glare at Sheik, but instead, he whistled almost unconsciously. "Wow… most girls I've met would kill to have a pretty face like yours." Seeing the red tint taking over the blonde's face, he laughed. "Hey, no need to get shy. You're not really my type."

'I already regret so many decisions…' The blond Sheikah cursed quietly while he tries to take off the rest of his clothing without jumping at Vahn's throat.

* * *

Twenty minutes in a very personal-space invading time with a talkative red-haired almost drained Sheik out of his sanity.

Before he had joked about their need to spend bonding time together to strengthen their friendship. His little way of keeping, the now known to him, indecent Vahn away from Link. Unfortunately for the Sheikah, that boy took way too seriously that comment and decided to share and ask away so many private details.

Sheik can't still shake the image of Vahn asking him to poke that mole in his left thigh.

That promiscuous boy truly defeated Sheik in their small exchange, as he seemingly has not a drop of shame on his person. So, the poor Sheikah decided to retreat and left for the bedroom the Goron Shop owner prepared for them.

Still wrapped in a set of two towels, one for his body and the other for his long blond hair, Sheik entered their room just to find Link sitting on a single bed quietly practicing with his Ocarina.

Fully dressed in his 'new' clothes, which is mostly the same save from the dark red color of his tunic and hat, Link paused his melodic training and looked at Sheik.

"Hi…" Shiek said quietly as he covered himself a bit more with his arms, feeling very shy and exposed at the moment.

"Hey. Did you guys have fun?" Link's innocence still surprises Sheik. Even more so when he remembers that Link was so mature just the other night.

"I prefer not to comment about it…" Sheik replied with a grimace and Link chuckled at him. "That pretty and innocent face he has, yeah, don't let him trick you with it."

"That bad?" Link asked back.

"You can't imagine. The kid has no shame. Oh, forget about the kid part. Apparently, Vahn is twenty years old."

Link's cerulean eyes widened in surprise. "Vahn… our Vahn? Twenty?"

This time Sheik was the one chuckling. Leaving Link to dwell on it for a while, Shiek searched the room and found his clothes neatly folded sitting on a bed. Taking his Sheikah suit in his hands, he noticed the small contrast to what it was.

Just like Link's tunic, his body armor looks almost the same. The great difference being the colors. Where it once was dark blue and white, now it's black and grey; with the red-eye symbol of his people shining with a golden color.

"Why the color change?" Sheik asked loudly, not aiming for an answer.

But Link replied anyway. "Dunno… I liked my green outfit." The Hero frowned, a very cure and sincere frown. "But I guess it's something to do with his magic. To tell the truth, I don't really feel fireproof."

"Let's hope this change in color works. Would be a shame if they catch on fire with us inside of them."

Both blonds shared a peal of good-natured laughter, even if the gloomy joke didn't feel very funny to them.

"Link… would you mind closing your eyes?" Sheik asked, once again looking shy. A very different look to the cool Sheikah that he always portrait himself to be.

Quickly understanding the meaning of such request, Link nodded and closed his eyes. Being who he is, the hero shut his eyes properly and didn't even try to cheat any peeks at Sheik as the blond let his towel fall on the floor.

"I think I've finally learned the notes to that song." Link breathed the words out to try and distract himself. The silence paired together with the shuffling of clothes making his imagination run a little wild.

"Is that so?" Sheik replied with a little hum, letting his undershirt slid casually down his chest. "You want to show me?"

Such an invitation was all that Link needed to proceed. Taking the Ocarina back to his lips, Link played a few stray notes to regain his composure and then started Sheik's song from the start.

Having his eyes close, and feeling Sheik's presence so close to him in the small room, Link felt the song playing in his heart, guiding his fingers with perfection. It was like seeing the notes dancing in front of his eyes, dancing to the tune of his Ocarina.

Listening to Link's version of that song felt breathtaking. Sheik could only stay still in wonder of how amazingly the hero is performing.

This scene felt so perfect, so dream-like. That Sheik felt like his mind was playing tricks on him. Nearing the end of the melody, he began to see Link shining with light. Little spirit orbs floating and dancing around him, gracing the Hero with an ethereal glow that makes his handsome face even more beautiful.

Then, as the last note flew from the Ocarina, the little spell waved off from the red-eyed blond. However, the light and orbs still remained around Link, glowing brighter and closer to him, swirling around his body like a small storm.

"Wait… what are the-"

With a hush of a breeze, Link disappeared in thin air. Leaving only the bump where he was sitting on the bed.

"L-Link…?" Sheik blinked a few times. Startled, confused, and lost at what just transpired in front of him. "LINK!"


	14. A Dark Glimpse

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 14 - A Dark Glimpse_ **

* * *

Glowing red and fuming grey are the pallet of color in this area.

A hard scent of ashes is hovering above in the clouds of hot air. The sound of bubbling lava is loud and predominant, almost dwarfing any other sound in this place.

Slightly overwhelmed by the sudden change in scenery, Link had to blink his eyes quite a few times and glance at least once at each direction surrounding him. One step forward and he heard a strange metallic echo. A quick look down and he noticed the large platform in the shape of a hexagon, very familiar to his eyes.

As the warping stupor began to fade, he saw a stream of orbs made of red lights circle around him. The little spirits spinning from his boots to his waist and then dispersing to all sides until they disappeared into nothingness.

Raising his Ocarina to his eyes' level, Link realized what happened to him.

Instead of complaining or panicking for the rather harsh way he departed from the Goron City, the young Hero found in this strange event a unique opportunity.

Feeling grateful for his paranoia about always wearing his equipment, Link put the mystical instrument back within his pouch and adjusted the weight of the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield at his back.

"Sorry Sheik, but this is a mission only I can finish." He gave a saddened look behind him, where he can see the entrance to the Goron City. "There is this feeling in my chest… something is waiting for me down there. I won't put you or Vahn at risk… Sorry…"

Releasing any hesitation with a long and heavy sigh, Link turned his gaze to the oddly intact wooden bridge standing above the lava river. After the hard first step, the now red-clad warrior continued to walk without a drop of trepidation in his steps.

Whatever waits for him down these red marble steps, better prepare itself.

* * *

"What you mean he disappeared?!" Anyone still inside the silent Goron City could hear the ear-piercing shout coming from the lowest level.

Pacing back and forward inside their rented room, Sheik is doing his best to remain calm and collected while letting his mind work without rest; a task not so easy considering the very loud red-haired standing in front of him.

"Exactly as I said before. One moment he was sitting in that bed right there." Sheik pointed to the one bed standing at the back corner of the room. "Then he disappeared."

"And you do see why this makes no sense to me right?" Vahn jumped in front of Sheik, his jade eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "No one vanishes like dust in the air. There has to be an explanation for this!"

Breathing out very slowly, Sheik turned and glared at Vahn. "Please refrain from pointing the obvious. It goes without saying that Link didn't simply disappear out of existence."

"THEN?!"

"IF you stop yelling and put on your clothes, then we maybe can leave this place and go after him." As the blond Sheikah pointed out, Vahn has been running back and forward in their room while wearing nothing but a towel. "I may know where Link can be right now."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Vahn turned around and disposed himself of his towel; for the second time in one day exposing his full body to Sheik, who shook his head and turned away from him.

Ignoring the odd Chronicler, Sheik shifted his ruby gaze to the spot Link was last seen before disappearing. 'Link… you better don't do anything reckless…' Instantly the blond felt his shoulders deflate and a sense of worry creeping up in his chest.

At this point, he knows reckless and Link goes hand in hand. Asking for him to be calm and not rush into things is the same as someone marching to Hyrule Castle and asking Ganondorf to leave.

Both things wound only happen in fairy tales.

* * *

Reaching the bottom step of the seamless endless stairs, Link felt a shift in pressure as if the world around him changed to one different from the Hyrule he knows. A pressure he only felt once before.

When he stepped inside the Forest Temple.

'So, this is why my chest has been hurting all this time.' Link thought, rubbing one hand on that spot, feeling this phantom pain once again.

Taking the Master Sword in his right hand, he marched forward inside the massive room brimming with pyres and primal-ancient statues, divided into two levels by a very wide set of stairs right in the middle.

As Link walked close enough to the center of the room, he heard a stream of squeaks coming from the cracked ceiling above. Four pairs of wings soared in the air, an early ambush of Keeses welcomed the Hero inside the temple.

Circling him, the flying creatures flew in a separated but coordinated way. Two always standing behind Link, away from his eyesight and the other two swooping by his sides, taunting and robbing his attention entirely to themselves.

Swirling around their prey for at least two full circles, two of the winged menaces came flying down onto Link, one from each side.

Pressing his right foot back, Link slashed the Keese on the right and met the second one on his left side with a powerful bash of his shield.

Almost mindless in their approach, the remaining Keeses ignored the demise of the other two and swooped right in, trying to reach the Hero from his blind spot.

Taking hold of the Master Sword with both hands, Link spun in place; slashing both enemies with one quick motion.

Barely affected by the brief ambush, Link poised his sword forward and proceed up the stairs.

When he reached the last row, he came face to face with three giant statues. Hardstone faces carved in the wall, holding blazing pyres inside their agape mouths.

Staring at such an unsettling piece of stone-work took Link out of focus for a moment. Glancing upwards onto those hollow eyes, it felt as if the temple itself is staring down at him.

It was only when a soft barely audible noise came from the left that Link pulled back from the three giants.

To his left, where the sound came from, is a doorway laying with its door forced open; signs of explosion showing on the edges and the tiled floor. To his right, there is an identical doorframe, and while it also lays open, there is no sign of explosions or anything of the sort. Showing that most likely it was open properly.

Shifting his gaze from door to door, his intuition prompted the Hero to turn and choose the path to the left.

Marching forward in vigilance and care, Link pressed his right foot in front of the door and right then he heard a shifting sound coming from up ahead.

Halting his steps at the same moment, he glanced to both sides of this bursted door. His blue eyes then shifting down to the rocky ground of the next room.

Waiting for a full long minute, Link stayed in place, looking down to that same spot. Just as he was ready to dismiss his caution as paranoia, he saw the gush of dust flying forward.

Instantly he raised his right arm and readied his sword.

Slicing the air in a wild curve, a dark-painted blade came flying in from behind the door frame. A towering Dark Knight jumping from the left side after his failed ambush.

"Tch. Could've sworn I would hit your neck with that one." Snarled the giant of a man. "Just means I've to work a little harder to cut you down."

Taking a charge forward, the knight jumped at Link with a full swing of his ridiculously large sword.

Stepping backward and to the right, Link ducked under the sweeping sword. The black blade exploding against the left side of the door, taking a huge chunk of rock after getting impaled there.

Growling yet again, the knight tensed his arm and pulled the sword from where it got stuck; tearing another chunk out from the wall.

"A fast one, huh?" The man clicked his tongue, only a glimpse of his eyes visible past the cover of his heavy helmet. "Never liked to fight you lot. It's like a fart on the wind, almost impossible to catch."

After snorting a laugh at his own comment, the knight pressed on, swinging his sword from left to right; taking huge steps forward to try eating up as much space as possible.

Link dodged, ducked, and even blocked one of his strikes. However, as successful as he is being in evading any type of damage; he is also losing a lot of ground in their exchange. To the point that he is finding himself little more than four steps away from the door at the right side of this central room.

Doing a long jump, the knight threw his arm into a downcast cleave. His sword making a giant cut on the floor as it missed yet again, but with this last attack, he has achieved his objective of pushing the blond warrior completely against the wall.

"No more room to dodge, huh blondie?"

As he tried to step backward, Link pressed his back against a hard surface; a frown curling his facial expression. Trying to find a way to circle around the knight, Link looked to both sides around the man, but he is so freaking large that with one step he could cover any flank.

Realizing this, his frown deepened and his grip on the Master Sword tightened.

" **Come on… this is pathetic…"**

A very high-pitched ringing sound stormed Link's head, a needling pain prickling at his chest as the whispering voice began to manifest itself back.

" **Look at his size, he can barely move… Look at that dent on his armor, right there under his chest plate…"**

Almost unconsciously, Link's eyes shifted to the dented area of the knight's armor. One very quick glance at it and an idea popped into his mind. One that made him swallow dry in discomfort.

" **See… You know what to do… One blow and his heart will beat no more…"**

His right hand began to tremble at his side, almost answering the call of those whispers. Biting down his lower lip with enough strength to draw blood, Link reigned over the reflexes of his body.

One very ugly laugh caught him in surprise, forcing his attention back to the man in front of him. "Oww, did I scare you enough to make your arms shake?" Gloated the knight, unaware of how close to death he is at the moment. "Too late for the shakes now, kid! Go look for mercy in the blazing hells." Winding his sword-wielding arm upwards, the knight snarled once more; ready to strike down his foe.

Glaring down to that dented spot again, Link felt compelled to ignore his own morals and thrust his sword upwards into that arrogant idiot's chest cavity.

But before either of them could act on their intentions, the tile next to Link jumped from the floor as a heavy foot came running from the door.

Link's cerulean eyes widened in shock as a very muscular long arm came flying in, crashing a powerful punch from a giant fist onto the knight's face.

Forced down on the pressure of that hammering blow, the knight buckled down; one very nasty crack sounding off from his neck.

" **So… so… pathetic…"**

"That will shut your trap!" Yelled the large Goron that came rushing in. After giving one last glare to the hateful man twitching on the floor, the tall Chief of the rock-eating people turned to Link and smiled. "When we fell prey to Ganondorf's minions, I knew you would come to help us. You are truly worthy of being my sworn-brother, Link."

"Darunia—Arghh!" Almost instantly Link found himself stuck into a rock-smashing hug from his sworn-brother.

"Haha! Link. It's good to see you here." Boasted the large Goron, grinning friendly as he dropped Link to his feet again. "I would've liked to share a more appropriate moment with you… but there is little time to waste. Ganondorf has sent his lackeys to commit an abominable crime against the Gorons. WE CANNOT LET THEM!"

"You know what they want here?" Link asked. "Little Link said they brought the Gorons here, but he couldn't tell more than that."

Darunia smiled at the mention of his son. "Ah, so my brave son is safe and unscathed. I imagine that's thanks to you." He took a long breath and regained his serious look. "Back to your question. Yes, I know why they have invaded our city. Ganondorf has awakened the accursed Dragon Volvagia. That blasted monster was sealed away by our ancestors a long time ago."

Giving a strong tap on Link's back, Darunia escorted him to the room where the knight came from.

As they entered, Link saw a giant river of lava standing between them and the massive door on the other side. Said door that was pried open in some way, with a Hylian-sized gap right in the middle.

"The creature is probably weak after being sealed away for so long," Darunia explained. "They want to revitalize Volvagia's strength, by giving our people as food for the Dragon."

"We have to go after them!" Link proclaimed, taking brave steps to the edge of their platform.

Watching his Hylian brother walk, Darunia smiled proudly but shook his head ever so slightly. "Our brothers are not inside its lair yet. I can't tell what those people are doing, but their leader made his underlings capture and imprison all the Gorons away. He alone went inside the monster's sanctum."

Looking back at Darunia, Link felt a hidden meaning behind the large Goron's words; something that deeply troubled him. "What you-"

"I'll go into Volvagia's lair and stop it from breaking free," Darunia said before Link could ask anything. "But I can't seal the beast as it is. We will need the ancient weapon used by the ancestors to seal it. The Megaton Hammer. Link, I want you to find the hammer and help save our brothers from their captors."

"I can't let you go in there alone. This is way too dangerous." Protested the hero, turning to face Darunia properly.

"Hah, it will take more than an angry man and an overgrown lizard to take down the great Darunia." Boasted the proud chief of the Gorons. "I'll keep them occupied until you arrive with our ancient weapon."

Looking at Darunia's stern but gentle round eyes, Link frowned and sighed. "You better stay in one piece until I return."

Thunderous laughter echoed from the muscled Goron, his right fist bashing against his chest as he nodded. "Hah, I wouldn't let my sworn-brother down, would I? Now, go. Our brothers need you."

Link hesitated for a moment, staring at Darunia for a few seconds. Then he nodded and shifted his gaze past the Goron, to the open door on the other side of the main room.

Even if he doesn't like this plan even for a moment, Link did as Darunia asked and sprinted away in search of this fabled hammer and the Gorons were taken prisoners.

Watching as his blond brother disappears past the second room far in the back, the smile on Darunia's lips faded away. A grim look appearing on his face. "I trust you, brother. Save the Gorons… Save Hyrule."

* * *

"Hah… Hah…. Can we take a little… moment to rest?" Almost passing out from fatigue, Vahn is gasping for air with both hands on his knees.

"We ran for less than five minutes. How can you be this tired?" Sheik threw him a curious glance, genuinely confused about Vahn's state.

"We ran really, really fast! Not everyone is built with an athletic body like you."

Deciding that arguing with him out lead nowhere, Sheik just rolled his eyes and leaned his back on the warm brick wall at the entrance of the Fire Temple. As he allowed Vahn to regain his breath, the Sheikah took this moment to study the giant room in front of him.

Just as Link and Sheik's clothes, Vahn's also had a new outlook to his outfit. His baggy pants turned red; his once dark blue shirt changed to a lighter tone of purple.

One little difference in their appearance as well lies with Sheik. Knowing a little more about the place where they would venture, the young Sheikah was forced to leave his turban and mask behind; instead, wearing his long hair in a pony-tail braid cascading down his back.

Said long-haired Sheikah, after observing the slashed corpses of some Keeses, noticed an even more intriguing figure just up ahead above the raising stairs in the middle of the room.

"S-Sheik?" Vahn called out to him, as the blond calmly stepped up to the upper level of the same room.

Kneeling next to the hulking body lying on the floor, Sheik rolled the man to the side. One look at the unsightly drool leaking from his twisted lips, and he knew that this soldier is dead. Taking the metal helmet from the man's head, he noticed a nasty bruise on the skin below the jaw. Signs that some heavy brunt or fall managed to break this person's neck.

"You think Link did this?" Said Vahn after he finally got enough of his energy back to walk up the steps.

Moving the knight's head from one side to the other, Sheik shook his head in response. "Link is strong, very strong. But whatever killed this one, had enough brute force to crush these statues in front of us."

"A Goron then?" Vahn conjectured.

"Possible, a very strong one." Looking to the left at the open door bubbling with the sound of lava, Sheik stood up and trailed over there. Kneeling again, this time past the door, he pressed his hand on the ash-dusted floor. "That knight came from here." He pointed to the footprints right beside the doorframe. "But there are two other trails after his."

"You can tell what footprint is newer or older than the others?" Vahn eyed Sheik with interest.

The blond nodded and moved to the other trail next to him. "If you know how to tell the difference, it's not that hard. Look closely here. These are the knight's footprints; they have a thin coat of dust gathering around and inside the mark of his boot." Then Sheik pointed to the set of barefoot prints. "These ones here have little to no dust on them, meaning that the person that left them passed by after the knight rushed out."

"Barefoot… Maybe the monster Goron that nailed the knight?" Vahn said.

"Yes… and the smaller boots." Sheik moved past the Goron's footprints, brushing his hand on the boot marks at the edge of the platform, the glow of the lava river shining at the corner of his sight. "Link came in here with this Goron. But he went back to that main room… probably to that open door we saw on the opposite side."

"Sheesh, look at that giant door over there." Vahn pointed to the barely open entrance across the massive gap filled with bubbling lava. "Could it be eerier than that?"

Glancing over the giant monolith of a door, Sheik could recognize a few of the inscriptions carved there. Some of the signs are in fact in the ancient language used by his people. Even this far away he could still piece together the warning inscribed in the stone-work.

' _Sealed within the heart of the mountain. The Infernal Terror lays in wait. Keep the ruby star away or the Dragon shall burn the sky forevermore.'_

"Let's leave that door for another time." Sheik declared as he stood up. "We go after Link; I got a bad feeling concerning his whereabouts."

Nodding his head with a little too much energy, Vahn couldn't agree more about leaving that door for later, or maybe for never. He really doesn't like to look at or the feeling that place gives him.

And so, with Sheik following after Link's trail, the pair left this eerie place in search of their blond hero.

With enough luck, they will find him before Link finds himself into too much trouble.

* * *

Traversing inside the volatile temple felt like a monumental task for Sheik and Vahn. Rooms filled with lava and traps, each step felt like a life-risking bet; and most of the time they barely dodged a wild explosion or the splash of the burning lake below the platforms.

One fairly big blessing they found inside this place is the lack of almost any enemy to hinder their path.

As with each room they entered, the pair found the ruined corpse of lizard beasts and monsters; all felled by the hero's sword.

However, there were still quite a few straggling groups of Lizalfos waiting in the darkness for an ambush. At these moments, Sheik found himself depending on Vahn's assistance more than he ever imagined he would.

Different from fighting men and women in battles or, in his 'secretive Sheikah duties', these creatures are almost mindless with their lack of self-preservation. Paired together with their unnatural strength and agility; Sheik had to exert his body to its fullest.

Even then, there were small glimpses of weakness in his graceful moves that could end very badly for the blond ninja. In these small moments, Vahn's magical Chakram repelled the blind spot attacks coming from the beast-men, saving his new friend from some dangerous wounds.

This little dynamic between them grew from encounter to encounter. By the time they had found the fifth group of Lizalfos skulking in the darkness; their duo worked together in flawless coordination; dispatching any hindrances with no more close calls.

Still, as efficient as those two had started working together, facing so many powerful foes in such a rapid sequence has taken a very heavy toll on them both.

Combat fatigue paired together with the barely tolerable heat of this place has slowed down Vahn's and Sheik's pace very considerably.

"Wow… this room is enormous!" Vahn exhaled loudly, his arms shooting up with a little bit of exasperation.

As the red-haired pointed out. After climbing the spiral stairs from the last room, they've arrived at a room that feels like the entire middle core of the temple. Where most rooms and halls from before felt like little sections of the lowest level, this one single room feels like the entirety of the second level on its own.

Sheik, who also cringed slightly at the vast expansion of the floor in front of his eyes, even after walking that much; glanced to the side in a fixated gaze to nothing in particular. "Can you hear that?" Asked the blond, taking a few steps to the right towards the weird ruined shrine.

Walking around the weird construction, Sheik stepped onto the elevated tiled floor, leaving the dusty brown ground behind. Moving closer to the massive pillar in the center of the shrine, he brushed his hand on the hard texture. With just a little pressure of his hand, the entire pillar shook violently, threatening to collapse the ground under it.

"How weird…" Sheik commented. "The structure feels sturdy enough. But this single pillar is barely holding itself in place. Almost as if it was designed to fall under the right pressure."

A soft whistle came from behind, taking Sheik's attention away from his musings. Looking back, he saw Vahn crouching next to the skeletal remains of a Stalfos.

Jumping down from the tiled floor and walking closer to his red-haired companion. Sheik not only understood his friend's awe but also felt himself getting shock-struck by the sight in front of him.

"Looking at this from a different perspective... it truly forces reality down your throat, huh?" Vahn said a little quiet, his tone almost sounds a little sad. "If I didn't know how goofy and gentle Link is, I would be terrified of him."

A small frown took over the Sheikah's expression. Deny as much as he wants, the same thought crossed his mind.

Before the remains of the Stalfos laying in front of Vahn, there is a grim garden of bones littering the ground. In a small conjecture by the number of bony limbs and rusted bits of armor scattered around; there are at least twenty of those undead creatures vanquished in front of them.

"Even knowing his strength, still feels hard to imagine how he handled so many of them by himself." Sheik said.

"RIGHT?!" Vahn chirped in loudly. "We almost dipped in the lagoon with just some Lizalfos." Taking one skeletal arm in his hands, he whined and shivered. "Can't see myself facing against these things."

"Me neither…" Sheik concurred not only because of some unreasonable fear of these evil creatures but by his own experience. Even before his encounter with the Hero inside the Temple of Time, the young Sheikah had one run against a stray Stalfos, and he barely managed to overcome that thing.

To face so many…

'Which begs the question. What would happen should Link lose his anxiety of raising his weapon against living people.' Sheik thought to himself.

Normally Sheik would find himself smirking or even cheering for any weapon they could be unleashed against Ganondorf's dark army. But thinking of using Link in such a way or worse, if somehow this war tainted Link's innocence enough to destroy this hesitation of his…

Sheik's whole body shuddered just imagining it.

"O-Oh! Sheik, is that?!" Startling Sheik's out from thoughts again, Vahn shouted very loudly as he jumped to his feet, wide eyes and mouth open.

Following those startled jade eyes' gaze, Sheik found what took the breath away from his small friend.

Surrounding by the sound of metal clashing against each other far on the other side of this massive room, the familiar form of Link is locked in a fierce battle against a gigantic enemy. A skeletal creature similar to the Stalfos, but too deformed and gargantuan to resemble a normal skeleton.

"Liiink!" Vahn shouted from the top of his lungs. But his voice was untimely overshadowed by the distance between them and the loud sounds coming from Link's side. "Dammit, he can't hear us!" Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the energetic red-haired jolted forward in a dash; the sight of his tall blond friend giving him a boost in energy.

Almost following suit after Vahn, Sheik hesitated just for a moment out of instinct. His ruby eyes instantly traveled to the path Vahn was taking, when he noticed the weird cracks on the floor.

Leaping in front of Vahn, Sheik pressed one hand onto the boy's chest to hold him in place. "Don't be reckless!"

Vahn glared at him, trying to push Sheik's hand away. "He's right there."

Shaking his head, Sheik glared back at Vahn. "I know, but we can't run in without thinking." Taking a small loose stone from the ground, the blond turned to look at the crack on the ground, following that line to the tall metal post standing so seamless unimportant out in the open.

Tossing the stone close to the very hidden line on the dusty floor, a roaring wall of fire exploded upwards. Covering from one metal pole to the other, creating a living wall from thin air.

Staring at the sprung trap with a hanging jaw, Vahn glanced back to Sheik with his green eyes almost popping out from their sockets. "T-Thanks… I almost turned into a roasted kebab."

Giving a gentle tap on Vahn's shoulder, Sheik turned his attention to the open ground in front of him. Which he quickly realized was not so open anymore.

From this point forward toward the side where Link is fighting, the whole place is dotted by those metal poles. A literal maze of fire standing between them and the hero.

Studying the lines and their course, the young Sheikah began to see the little pathways forward.

"Maybe I can navigate this trap." He said calmly, prompting Vahn to glance back at him. "Just walk closely behind me."

Vahn replied with a bit of exaggerated nodding. "Think of me as your second shadow. I won't even take a breath more than you."

Proceeding forward with the utmost care, Sheik led them through half of the fire maze without much problem. It was then that both he and Vahn grow nervous in their slow-paced walk.

After a long-fought battle, Link has managed to destroy the giant monster, by piercing the creature's face with a thrust of the Master Sword. With his foe vanquished, the blond hero turned away and was ready to walk inside the open door far back into the other wall.

Realizing that if they lost Link here it could take another whole hour to find him again, Sheik grew impatient and tried to cross this blasted maze as fast as he could.

Leading him to take a wrong turn in his steps and almost burn himself onto the raising fire.

As vexing as this felt, this little mistake worked for his favor. With no more sounds of fighting echoing in the room, the loud sparkle of fire was enough to catch Link's hearing and made the hero turn to look at its source.

It was then, that he found Sheik and Vahn surrounded by three of those activated traps.

"Did he see us?" Vahn asked, trying to take a look at Link in the gaps he could find past Sheik's arms.

Sheik watched as Link stared at them for a few seconds and then the hero sighed. That sigh made the Sheikah frown, almost feeling insulted by that reaction.

Jumping down from the tiled floor onto the dirty ground, Link calmly made his way towards the other two, stopping only when he was close enough to activate a set of traps on his side, but getting close enough to talk with them.

"You came…" Link stated a little frustrated.

"Expected anything else?" Sheik replied firmly but grinned when Link shook his head and smiled softly at him. "You crossed past this annoying place already. Just point the way and we will get to you."

"Actually, you don't have to." Link said, much to Sheik's slight confusion. "It's good you came. I'll need your help saving the Gorons. Ganondorf's men brought them here, but scattered them in two points."

"How did you learn about that?" Sheik asked.

"Him." Link replied, pointing to one of the Tyrant's Dark Knight; the man is curled into a corner shaking like a green leaf. "I found that one running away from a giant Stalfos. He confessed everything to me, begging that in exchange I would save his life… so I did."

A quiet snort escaped the blond Sheikah, his ruby eyes staring firmly at the cowering knight. "Why would one of Ganondorf's minions be scared of another servant of his master?"

Link shrugged. "Apparently they are not best buddies. He said that only the warlocks can control the monsters."

"How funny would be to see them go at each other," Vahn added in, a cheeky little smirk playing on his lips. "In my opinion, they are just as bad as those monsters."

"Whole-heartedly agree." Sheik said with a surly nod.

"I dunno… but can't stay here talking with you two about it." Brushing the back of his hair, Link continued. "Look, he said that the Gorons are being kept in two separated parts. One room is being watched by the remaining soldiers that came here; from what he said there are a lot of them left."

"The second one?" Asked the Sheikah, feeling a little worried.

"Monsters. This warlock guy made them stick to this room. To keep both groups from killing each other, the monster one is guarding the room at the top of the Temple, ah…. That way." Link pointed to the door he was about to enter before.

"I see…" Sheik nodded quietly, reading the hard look on Link's face quite easily. "How do we reach the room guarded by the soldiers?" He asked firmly, making the hero flint even if a little. "It's okay Link. You don't have to go around it. We can take care of a few tin-heads."

A resounding laugh escaped Vahn after Sheik used his favorite term to address the dark knights. "I'm with Sheik. What is a few tin-heads compared to the things you'll have to fight? Leave it to us, it will be done in no time."

"Sorry… for pushing this on you." Link said quietly.

"Link, it's fine. Just tell us." Sheik reassured him. He almost unconsciously tried to reach with one hand towards the hero, luckily for him his fingers only twitched a bit instead of diving into a very painful experience.

Link sighed but gave in. "From where you came from. Instead of walking right, you move left. There's a door on that side of this tall house-thing, it will take you back to the lowest level; if that guy is right, it will lead you directly to their room."

"We're on the case, boss!" Vahn announced loudly, giving Link a perfect salute. "Those tin-heads won't even know what hit them." Puffing air from his nostrils, the flimsy-looking Chronicler boldly stomped his foot as he turned around and began to march back. Only to then step very close to one of the traps and almost burn himself again.

Rolling his eyes at the boy's antics, Sheik shook his head, giving Link one last reassuring smile. "It's best if I got moving too before someone manages to catch themselves on fire."

"I heard that!" Vahn growled back.

Surprising Link with the sudden closeness, despite their constant bickering, Sheik and Vahn began trailing their way back. With the smaller boy spiting more silliness from his lips and the stern Sheikah doing his best to not roll his eyes at said silliness.

Watching them go with a somber look to his expression, Link felt the weight of the Master Sword in his hand, before turning on his heels to go after his own objective. Still worried about Darunia's fate, the Hero pushed himself forward even faster.

'I'll find that hammer and go back to you, Darunia. Just hang on a little longer.'

* * *

"Are you ready?" Sheik asked with a whisper, glancing back to Vahn who is standing right behind him.

Looking from side to side, Vahn tried to nod his head but just hummed. "As much as I can be."

Understanding of his fears, the young Sheikah put a reassuring hand on his friend's arm. "You don't have to do anything dangerous. Just support me where you can, exactly as we've been doing until now."

Pressing his hold on his Chakram, this time Vahn nodded back quite firmly. Despite the trepidation present in his posture, his eyes are as resolute as ever.

Sheik, after clearing his thoughts, pressed one hand against the ancient-looking door. Just by his soft touch the whole thing almost crumbled down to dust. But was this weak trembling of the wooden door that pushed the Sheikah's action forward, like a burning fuse of a bomb.

Kicking the door down, Sheik quickly hurled a Deku nut inside the room and leaped forward, pulling his thin sword with one hand.

Shifting his gaze in an area-wide scan, he searched for the nearest target to commence his sudden advance.

It was then, however, that he found not a single one of them in sight.

"W-Who are you?" Asked one terrified Goron curled up inside an improvised cell.

"Doesn't look like one of them." Pointed out another Goron, this one in a cell at the opposite side.

Straightening himself up from his low fighting position, Sheik looked around him to find at least a dozen Gorons imprison all around him. Visible confusion plastered on his face.

"H-Hey… can you help us?" Pleaded one Goron, this one with enough courage to uncurl from their protective shell form and walk over to the iron bars.

Looking just as baffled as Sheik, Vahn walked inside the room, putting away his Chakram while he moved over to that one Goron.

"Why are you guys alone?" He asked. "There should've been some knights keeping guard here, right?"

All the Gorons shared a silent conversation between themselves with a few glances.

"No knights here…" Replied one.

"They took us from our home, brought us here. But they never stayed." Said a second.

"Y-Yes. They put scary monsters to watch us. So scary… Why are they working with monsters now?" Cried a third Goron, shivering down to his thin legs.

"Monsters…" Sheik frowned. "What monsters did they left here?"

"LIZARDS!" At least four Goron's yelled at the same time.

"Same ones that roamed inside Dodongo's Cavern before the little hero helped us years ago." Commented the Goron right next to Vahn. "But they too left. Can never keep monsters in one place. That's why we don't get why work with monsters."

"Yeah… they're dumb." Added in another Goron. "Can you release us now?"

Sheik and Vahn shared an acknowledging look with one another. The straggling Lizalfos they found in their pursue after Link, they probably came from here.

And if those monsters came from here.

"Link!" The duo cried out in realization at the same time.

* * *

"This can't… be serious…" A deflated sigh of defeat escaped Link's curled up lips.

A little worked up after rushing up a very long set of stairs, Link pushed the door to this room open ready to face a group of Stalfos or even some wild Lizalfos like he has been dealing with for this past hour.

It never crossed his mind, that at the moment he pushed that door open, he would come face to face with a small army of dark-armored soldiers.

"Who the hell is that?!" Yelled one of them. This agitated voice prompting every single one of the twelve soldiers to stop and look directly at Link.

"Isn't that…" One of the knights narrowed his eyes at Link, then pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and pulling it open; his suspicions were proven correct. "That's him! The guy Lord Ganondorf is after."

"I remember that. Got a pretty big reward on his head."

For a moment every knight shared a quiet glance between themselves. It was not a silence born out of fear or hesitation. But a pause forced entirely by a deep sense of greed.

Took only one of them stepping forward to a pandemonium to break loose.

Branding sword, spears, and axes. They rushed towards the entrance in a frenzy, all those weapons swinging away with one single aim.

Link.

Out of instinct Link tumbled inside the room, his instincts knowing that a run down the stairs would only end up with a spear on his back. But this quick reflex tossed him from the fire into the frying pan.

He barely regained his footing when two knights jumped at him with swords. One coming from the left and the other just thrusting his weapon forward.

Swiping his right arm in an act, Link paired the sword coming from above; he then raised his shield to block the one coming from directly in front of him.

Right then, two other soldiers took the opportunity to flank him from the opposite side.

A man wielding a halberd, came screaming like a lunatic as he aimed his blade onto Link's right side. The other one, using a lot more subtlety, came from behind trying to reach the hero's exposed back.

Almost forced to focus on the man with the pole-weapon, Link bashed his weapon away. But this small moment left him open enough for the soldier behind him to graze his back with the tip of his sword.

Like fire had ripped through his tunic, Link felt his skin burn and ache. Thin lines of blood already running down to his waist.

This sudden pain, however, awakened his senses enough to push Link to counter his attackers away. The three soldiers in front of him were shoved backward with a wide swing of the Master Sword. With a fast jump to the side, Link landed a square kick on the chest of the last soldier.

Caught unaware, the sneak knight found himself spinning wildly in the air, landing on the far side of the room.

This opened a small window for Link to regain his breath. But this only made even more noticeable the suffocating amount of people walking closer to pincer him against the wall.

" **Stop caring…"**

Link flinched at the searing pain in his chest, his eyes getting unfocused by it.

"Not now… Please don't start doing this now." Link cried quietly, gritting his teeth aggravation.

" **If you hesitate, you will die."** The voice now too loud in his head to be called a whisper. **"These hounds will sink their fangs on you and bleed you dry, all for money. STOP CARING ABOUT THEM."**

"Just shut up!"

" **On the left, imbecile!"**

Jolted awake from his thoughts by that inner scream, Link swung his weapon to the left, pairing a flying spear coming from the back. He then jumped with his back to the wall to dodge three soldiers that decided to leap on top of him.

This last move placed Link in the worse place possible, with little space to move, even the swing of his sword arm will now be hampered by the wall behind him.

" **You can't die here. There so much at stake. You can't…"** Maybe the pressure is getting to him, but Link swears he could hear a drop of desperation and concern with the voice that has only sounded relentless until now. **"I ask of you to let go, just for one moment… Only a single moment. Just trust me and close your eyes."**

"Sounds like a terrible idea!" Link cried out loudly this time, as he traded blows with another knight trying to hit him.

" **I beg of you, don't let your life be lost here."** Now he definitely heard a different side to this voice; humbleness, fear. So different from before. **"Close your eyes and let go of yourself."**

Growing tired and out of options, Link felt his world come to a stop. All the sound, colors, and shapes came to a full halt. Breathing in, his chest raised and lowered; moving in a time different from everyone else.

" **Let me be free."** Came a gentle but very insidious whisper.

Urged by it, Link simply closed his eyes and let go.

Everything disappeared in favor of a void made of white. No longer he could feel the weight of the Master Sword, how heavy the Hylian Shield feels on his left arm; the pain running down his back. It was like being drowned in a sense of pure peacefulness.

Then, he breathed out.

Time began to flow anew, his body gaining color, weight, and even the sensation of pain back.

However, as Link opened his eyes, he found himself not in the corner surrounded by soldiers, but in front of the old door on the opposite side from where he came from.

"W-What happened?" Link asked himself, still too stunned in shock to move.

" **Ah... ah... I did as promised..."** The voice replied, its voice rispid and weak, almost as it was gasping for air. **"I can't let you die here… But now… you… are... on your own… Too… weak… to…"**

Link didn't know if he should be grateful for it or scared of what just happened to him. Still, his curiosity was screaming at him to look behind him.

" **I...** **wouldn't… do… that…"** His body stopped with this warning. **"Somethings… are better… left… Un.. kno..wn…"**

With one final gasp, the whispers faded away, releasing any sway it had over Link's action.

Even then, Link found himself petrified. He was itching to defy that warning and turn to look behind him. But one glance down his sword and his face went pale; any wishes of turning his gaze back disappeared right then.

Blood is staining the pristine blade of the Master Sword. A sickening amount of blood, almost as if someone had dipped the weapon inside a bucket of red paint.

Gulping down the urge to vomit, Link lowered his head and stepped forward. With both arms trembling, the young Hero decided to leave this room behind him and force himself to move on.

There are still so many lives depending on him today. And if he saw what was behind him, his will would probably crumble under the weight of his consciousness.

Deeply lost in thoughts and worries, Link failed to realize the show of light coming from his right hand. The Triforce in his possession was shining like a furious beacon but slowly faded away as he closed the door behind him.

* * *


	15. Volvagia

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**_Chapter 15 - Volvagia_ **

* * *

" _Saria… you know a lot of things, right?" Said a little blond boy, hacking and slashing in the air with his wooden make-shift sword. "I mean, you're the smartest person I know."_

" _Heheh, that doesn't mean much. You don't know a lot of people." The green-haired girl giggled in her reply, forcing a little pout in her friend's chubby face. "Don't pout Link. If you want to ask something, I swear I will listen properly."_

_Clumsily swinging his little sword, Link gave his only friend a long glance. After considering if she would truly hear him seriously or just find something to tease him with, Link stabbed the tip of his weapon on the grass and sat with his legs crossed._

" _I… hm… I found this book…" Link began, fiddling with his fingers as he trailed along with his words._

_Saria tried to hold in, but her giggles escaped past her lips. Her reaction making Link frown lightly. "To think we would live to a day where Link is interested in books."_

" _Saria! I'm serious here." Link cried out, his little glare only pushing his green-haired friend to laugh even louder._

" _Sorry, sorry." She waved one hand at him._

_Puffing air out angrily, Link folded his arms close to his chest. "Anyway… in this book. I read about a… kneght… no, it's… ahhhh…. It was a man in armor that fights with a sword."_

" _A Knight." Saria corrected him._

" _Yes! That!" Link beamed. "It was very boring, most of it. But there was something he said all the time. When he was tired or hurt, he always mentioned it."_

" _And you're confused about it?" She asked. "What is troubling your little head?"_

_Raising his bright blue eyes to his friend, Link chewed on his lower lip for a while but made his mind with a little nod. "Saria… what is love?"_

_For all the silly things and questions Link had asked her from the years she has known him; this was the first time the little blond boy managed to rob Saria of her words._

_Blinking at him a few times, she tried to weigh his question. As simple as it sounded, the deeper meaning of that single word made her pause and consider for a few silent seconds._

" _Hm… Love. Love is a sentiment present inside of every living being. Most of the time is subtle, sometimes is loud and bright." Pressing one finger to her lips, Saria let her eyes trail to the verdant color of the leaves hovering far high in the branches of Kokiri's large trees. "Love is one of the most powerful emotions in life. It can push you past your limits to achieve even the impossible."_

_Link's cerulean eyes sparkled with interest, his boundless curiosity guiding his mind to a proxy topic._

" _That sounds weird but cool at the same time." He said back with a little giggle. "You said love is one of the most powerful emotions. There are others?"_

_Saria glanced back at him, a faint shadow of memories showing in her sapphire eyes. "Hatred…" She mused a bit too loudly, not sure if she wanted to branch into this topic. But one look onto Link's quirked eyebrow and she knew he wouldn't lay it to rest. "Hate is almost a rival to Love. Equal in its power over people. Someone filled with hatred can become ruthless… unstoppable. But hatred also blinds them to everything else. Lost in it, one would not hesitate to harm even people they like."_

_Clearly oblivious to the deeper meaning of his friend's words, Link just looked down to his hands resting on his lap. He clenched the right one and spread the left one open; taking turns to look from one to the other._

" _Love and Hatred…" He said quietly. "There is a way to tell which is stronger? I mean, nothing can be as strong as the strongest right?"_

_Saria couldn't help but giggle at Link's childish reasoning. Always trying to compare things on a power scale, like every other boy tries to do. "Emotions are not as simple as that. You can't put a number on them or measure which one is tougher. Like you try to do with Mido every day."_

" _He's the one bullying me every day!" Link protested very loudly._

_His little outburst was mostly ignored as Saria just shook her head and continued. "But to answer your question in a way you would understand. It depends on which sentiment your heart leans on. If you are full of love, then hatred is null. The same can be said on the other way around. In the end, it is your choice which one is stronger."_

" _Love or Hatred…" Link looked down at his hands again, this time opening his right hand to mirror his left one. "If I can choose, I would choose Love… I think."_

_Leaning closer to her small friend, Saria giggled and tapped her finger against the tip of his nose. "Then, in your heart hatred has already lost."_

* * *

"Over here!" Vahn yelled pointing at the narrow opening at the end of the hallway. "Put those skinny legs of yours to work, we don't have time to waste here!"

Ordering the Gorons around, he is doing his best to get these people out from the temple and away from the dangers that lurkers in here. However, despite how urgent and terrible this situation in its feel, his agitated tone and angst look on his face is due to their overwhelming worry over his blue-eyed friend.

"MOVE ALREADY!" The poor frightened Gorons got startled even further after Vahn's heated shout.

Growing very anxious with their pacing, Vahn is getting more and more upset. However, before he could shout or try to push the group of Goron past the small hall, a firm hand grasped him by the shoulder.

"Stop yelling at them." Sheik warned sternly.

"But if we keep wasting time here!" Vahn tried to counter.

"Vahn, it is not their fault. They are just scared; we can't keep adding to their stress." Looking forward to the group of tall yellowish people walking up the stairs, Sheik narrowed his eyes. "We… we just have to trust him. Link asked us to save the Gorons and that's what we can do now."

"But… I…" Vahn sighed, his gaze shifting downwards to the broken ground beneath his feet. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare them. Is just that we may have left Link with a burden he can't carry on his own."

Sheik had to use every inch of self-control to refrain himself from nodding along with those words. He knows that if for any reason he comes to regret his decision, it will only push him to make an even worse one.

"If I've learned anything about Link, is that he can carry so much on his shoulders. Much more than anyone would give him credit for." Even if Sheik is saying this to Vahn, he is trying to convince his mind just as much. "Just trust him."

Looking back up to his friend reassuring red-eyes, Vahn felt a small amount of relief taking the dread weighing on his chest. The shadow of a small but sincere smile appearing on his lips.

But then the world around them shook with a devastating quake. One blasting sound echoing from within the ground, as if the mountain itself roared loudly in rage.

Not soon after, another crushing quake assaulted the walls and floor, sweeping Vahn out of his feet.

"W-W-WHAT NOW?!" Vahn yelled in shock, doing his best to try and get back on his feet.

Giant pieces of stones came crashing down from the ceiling, dotting this floor with small points of pure destruction.

With wide eyes almost fleeing out from their sockets, Sheik grabbed onto Vahn and helped his companion back up.

"We have to move." He stated almost in a panic. "The temple is collapsing onto itself."

Grabbing tight onto the Sheikah's robes, Vahn yelped in distress as a large boulder collapsed right beside them. "Why is everything just getting worse. Link... We have to find him."

Sheik couldn't agree more, at least his heart couldn't. His rational mind on the other end. "We can't. Right now we have to move these people away from this mess."

Vahn was ready to fight back, but the thundering sound of part of the entire ceiling falling made him gulp down his words and just frown.

Hugging very closely the form of his blond friend, Vahn could only help and be helped by Sheik as they hushed out from this middle floor.

Not soon after their crossed the section to the other floor, the room behind them collapsed in a storm of stones and fire.

* * *

Covered by dust and bruises, Sheik and Vahn finally reached the main room of the Fire Temple. Cruising the burning chaos that has become this place was a challenge that even the young Sheikah barely had enough wits and energy to overcome.

But after one of the most excruciating and panic-filled minutes of his life, they crossed the final door leading to the three giant statues on the entrance.

"Is that the rest of them?" Vahn pointed to the large number of Gorons waiting at the entrance, receiving their brother with crushing hugs as the group Sheik and Vahn led run down the stairs.

Following after the weeping rock people down the steps, the duo eagerly asked the Gorons about the whereabouts of the Hero; Their high hopes however soon faded when some of them traded glances and looked very sad afterward.

"We saw Link, The Hero. Yes, we did!" One of them replied.

"He saved us from the cages. They were burning hot, even for us." Said another one.

"But he didn't come back with us. The hero went after the legendary hammer. He asked where to find it…" A third Goron said and the fourth soon followed.

"We didn't know. Not exactly. There are only rumors, that the sacred hammer rests at the top of the temple. Above the heart of the mountain."

A fifth stepped forward, an older-looking Goron, his white hair a lot longer than his younger brothers. "Up the hero traveled. Claimed the hammer perhaps. But an honorary Goron he is, not a real one. I feel that the spirits are angry. The whole mountain is responding… Ohh… what will happen to us?"

In what has become a bit of a habit for them, Sheik and Vahn traded a concerned glance with one another. The red-haired boy looking very distressed and scared in his expression; the blond Sheikah as composed as ever, but a small hint of worry curling his brown.

Still ranging and thrashing wildly, the old temple gave no quarters for anyone to settle in and think. This last haven inside the burning walls soon turned into the same mayhem the rest of this place has transformed itself into.

Bursting out in a furious explosion, the middle giant in the set of statues broke into pieces as fire and lava poured out from the hole behind the wall.

"W-We have to leave…" Sheik said with his heart sinking to the ground. "It's not safe to linger here any longer."

Vahn was ready to voice the loudest 'But' he has ever uttered, when another forceful quake assaulted the mountain, startling the Gorons out to the exit.

"At this rate, the entire Death Mountain will blow up," Vahn stated in shock. "The Gorons, Master, and Ledhal… Even Kakariko. Everything will be swallowed by lava."

"However, there is little we can do," Sheik said back, almost startling his friend with how cold he appears to be despite the urgency of the situation. "This place… it's different from Hyrule as you and I know it. This is a sacred temple, one of the seven temples made by the goddesses. I feel… I feel as if this aftermath you detailed just now; hangs on the outcome of the Hero's Trial."

"Then… if Link fails…"

Sheik looked down onto Vahn's green eyes and smiled ever so faintly. "Let's hope and pray that he doesn't."

Gently pressing one hand at Vahn's small back, Sheik dragged his friend out of this collapsing nightmare made with fire. But as they reached the last tiled floor within the hallway, his red-eyes traveled back to the ruined room he left behind him.

'Just come back safely to us, Link.'

* * *

Ranging with fire, the ancient Temple trembles with a roar. A loud echo travels across each floor, and at each thunderous boom, the walls shake.

Yet as much as chaos spread itself thoroughly everywhere, the flow of one single lava river stays the same. The single red line acting as a breach impeding passage to the dragon's lair remains stable and firm only dancing back and forward in a tune of its own.

It was only when the loudest of the echoes invaded this room that the flow was disrupted. From above on the ceiling, a massive stone pillar came crashing down from the floor above.

Crashing down angrily, this pillar washed the lava river everywhere, mostly overwhelming the door leading to the temple entrance.

Standing on top of the square-shaped pillar, the Hero used the most unusual way of traveling to cross three floors in one go. Wielding the fabled Goron hammer in his hands, Link shoved his way down, recklessly racing against the collapsing structure that surrounded him.

Shifting his gaze down to the giant door of the dragon's lair, Link jumped from his tall platform and landed in front of the barely open entrance.

Tightening his hold on his new weapon, the hero steeled his nerves with a single long sigh. Then, he walked in, shielding his eyes from the ominous red light shining from within.

"Oh. Do my eyes deceive me?" A male voice got Link's attention. As he lowered his hands from his eyes, he saw the single form of a tall man standing on top of a circular rock platform surrounded by lava. "The Hero of Time himself. What an unfortunate honor to meet such a stellar individual. But then again, I half expected your presence here today… Given my intentions."

Recognizing not only the dark painted armor but also the insignia on that man's chest, a deep frown twisted Link's expression.

With one single large leap, the hero landed on the same platform but directly across from that person.

"Who are you?" Link asked. "Why are you tormenting the Gorons? They are peaceful people, never done anything wrong to you."

Reaching with one hand towards his metal helmet, the man pulled his headgear away and tossed it down onto the red ground; revealing a rather young face with deep black eyes and his short raven hair.

His lips curled into an unsettling smirk. "Hah, why would I ever care about the Gorons' feelings? Don't take me wrong, this is nothing personal. They only serve as a means to an end."

Link glared daggers at the man, already feeling the faint ache in his chest troubling him again. "WHAT END?" He roared. "Nothing justifies THIS!"

Acquiring a puzzling look to his expression, the knight just shook his head and sighed. "Pardon my rudeness, fair hero. Let me start again properly this time. My name is SonHe, a humble captain in Lord Ganondorf's army." Despite his very formal and respectful tone, his mocking sneer and bow show the true nature of his words. "But that title is so very close to a change… a promotion if you will."

Seeing the man taking a few steps along to the left, Link followed in this dance by tracing his steps on the opposite side; both warriors circling each other.

"You see, mister Hero. Under our Lord's rule, only power matters. He doesn't care for your past, your race, or your deviant desires. Our king only values those with the ambition to claim their destiny." SonHe came to a full stop when he reached the point where Link had landed before, they practically exchanged position by this point. "Today, I will rise to be one of his commanders. I only needed this…"

Wearing one very sickening grin on his lips, SonHe pulled a shining object from behind him.

Took Link only but a moment to recognize the Goron's Ruby, the red jewel still as bright as ever. But seeing this memento of his sworn-brother, Link's brown furrowed.

"Darunia… Where is he?" He asked the other man.

Quirking one eyebrow at the blond warrior, the brunet captain shook his head with a stupid silly smirk and shrugged. "That muscled Goron guy? He was a bit annoying, scratch that, very annoying. But he served his purpose." Raising the stone in the air, SonHe's smirk grew into an almost maniacal smile. "As will you and the rest of his filthy people. Your deaths will grant me the ultimate power!"

Once more Link had to shield his eyes from the blinding light assaulting his vision. By the little glances he could get, he saw SonHe press both hands firmly onto the Red Spiritual Stone.

"HEED MY CALL; VOLVAGIA, KING OF ALL DRAGONS!"

Answering his heated shout, the room itself trembles in response. One pillar of raging lava after the other began spitting up from the river below, almost splashing that lethal liquid upon the quaking platform.

It was then, from within one of the gigantic pillars of lava rising from the mountain core itself, that a solid form appeared in a rage of storming fire.

The first sight that robbed Link's attention was the sparkling green light coming from two orbs. Right then the dragon's full head poured out from the leaking burning red fluid, letting out a deafening roar, the creature flew out in the air, revealing in fully its long and gargantuan serpentine body.

"Hah, HAHAHAHAH! Look, Hero!" SonHe cried out in a power-induced ecstasy. "A legendary beast from ages of yore. Something even my Master fears and respect. With it at my command, I will become a god!"

Waving the Ruby in the air as if was some kind of wand or even commanding whip, the delusional captain set his heated glare onto Link. "Come, Volvagia. It's time for your second feast."

Hovering very close to the ceiling of this dome, Volvagia seemed to respond even if faintly to the man's command. The dragon turned and began to float casually down onto the platform, almost as if enjoying the moment before swallowing another victim of its endless hunger.

This little leisure pace quickly came to an end. Soon enough, the dragon's shining green eyes landed on the imposing form of the Megaton Hammer laying on the blonde's hands.

Volvagia instantly threw a fit of anger. Roaring, trashing, and even bashing its head on the loose rocks above it, the dragon lost any resemble of calmness or even cohesion at the sight of its hated nemesis.

"W-What are you doing?!" SonHe yelled in distress, trying to dodge the countless broken pieces of rock falling onto the platform. "STUPID CREATURE! I command you to stop this-" The young captain had only but a few moments to rant before a large piece of rock came and nailed him firmly against the red-floor, piercing a giant hole in his chest.

On the opposite side of this arena, Link is battling for his safety against the chaotic rumble of stones falling on him. Using his shield and new hammer to block and smack the projectiles away, the hero managed to withstand through the dragon's enraged fit.

However, as the rocks ceased falling, a giant shadow took their place as the Volvagia itself came diving in rage.

Rolling to the left, Link dodged in time to let Volvagia swoop into nothing, dragging its metal-sharp claws into the ground, tearing large chunks of it in a single slash.

Jumping back to his feet, Link aligned himself properly as the dragon flew to the back of the room and turned to fly right down onto him.

Staring directly onto Volvagia's roaring open mouth, he noticed a few signs of blood and mangled flesh. That sight made Link's heart fall to the ground and his expression took a grim look onto it.

"You…" He clenched his hold onto the hammer's handle, both hands pressing tight onto it. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Waiting just until Volvagia was few steps away from him, he swung both arms into a wide arc, bringing the hammer upwards into a furious charge.

At this moment, the entire Death Mountain felt the connection of that strike onto the dragon's head. One very deep and muffled sound echoed everywhere within and above the mountain, a sound of metal clashing against something just as hard. It was then followed by the pained and enraged cries of the Dragon King's voice.

* * *

Each and every single Goron on the steps leading to the wooden bridge above the mountain's open mouth fell to their knees and brought their hands to their ears. Everyone trembled in confusion and fear when the loudest noise they have ever heard shook even the ground they are standing on.

Also suffering from the infernal ringing sound plaguing their hearing, Sheik and Vahn took support with one another; their startled gazes going everywhere to try and find what was coming after them.

"S… Sh…. Sheik!" The Sheikah finally could hear his red-haired friend shouting his name. "What in Din's blaze was that?"

Sheik had no idea how to respond. He found himself just as confused and lost as Vahn. But even then, his gaze knew to travel to one spot in particular. And that was the nightmarish sight right above them all.

The once dark and gloomy clouds taking over the sky of the Death Moutain, are now completely red. An eerie miasma charged with energy and malevolent feeling. It was almost like staring down at the burning throat of a dragon ready to spit fire into the world.

"By the goddesses… what is happening here?"

* * *

Link groaned painfully.

As gasped for air, he winced silently. Puffs of dust flying up in front of his eyes. Blinking a few times in his daze, he noticed the firm texture of hard ground pressing against his chest.

It happened so fast that he didn't even register how he ended up laying on the ground.

This lazy stupor, however, was forcibly jolted out from his senses when he heard the ever-increasing sound of the dragon's growls.

Punching his left fist down, Link shoved himself to his knees and then back up to his feet. Feeling the lack of weight on his right hand, he looked down only to see the handle of the Megaton Hammer, the weapon destroyed after his first hit against the dragon's head.

Shifting his gaze ahead of him, Link saw the serpentine form of Volvagia also lingering on the ground. Slowly and steadily, the dragon began to stir, its growls gaining in volume and intensity; to only then explode into a full-blown roar once again.

As Volvagia unleashed its voice against the hero, Link saw the disfigured shape of the dragon's face. Or more precisely, the hard carapace that served as a mask for it.

With each little movement Volvagia makes, the mask crumbled and falls, revealing the pure bright red scale that is its true face. Those furious green eyes entirely focused on the hero's form.

Link prepared his footing to dodge at any moment when the dragon dive-bombed at him again. But as he carefully began to pace backward and around Volvagia, he felt a sudden change in the air around him.

His bright blue eyes widened in realization when he saw Volvagia open its mouth wide open, a tornado of flame already forming inside the dragon's throat.

"That's Ba- AAAGHH!" Even with his almost unnatural reflexes, Link barely had any time to jump to the side before an infernal breath of fire stormed forward, burning even the hard rocks into a mushy puddle.

Following the hero's image with a turn of its head, Volvagia took a long breath in and then unleashed another wave forward.

Link leaped to the left to evade once more, then he was forced to jump even further as the dragon began to follow him with one continuous fire-breath.

Dodging, rolling, and skipping to the side, Link eventually reached the edge of the arena. Sliding his boots against the very tip, he eyed as the red spiral continued to come after him. Deciding to ditch the now useless broken handle in his hand, Link pulled the Master Sword and jumped as high as he could.

Weaving his body just above the burning stream, Link managed to evade Volvagia's breath one last time. And luckily for the hero, the dragon's breath began to fade away as it gasped loudly for more air.

Trying to take this moment of an opening, Link rushed forward as fast as his legs would carry him; aiming his sword purposefully onto those hateful green eyes.

But before he could get into striking range, Volvagia's long body swirled around, and its tail came flying in the blink of an eye; swooping Link's legs out of balance.

Crashing down with his side on the very warm, borderline burning hot, floor; Link rolled to the right and jumped back up. But his moment of distraction gave enough time for Volvagia to regain its breath and upper position.

Link's eyes widened when he saw the spiral of fire already inches away from his face.

"Goddamnit!"

Raising his shield, Link tried in a desperate last resort to block the flames away.

Surprising even himself, his Hylian Shield managed to withstand the dragon's hot stream; however, the shield could only prevent so much.

The longer Link stood his ground against Volvagia's fire breath, the more his arms and legs trembled in pain. His gloves, most of his tunic, and even his left boot have already burned away.

His slightly tanned white skin getting nasty pinkish spots onto them, fresh burning marks getting worse by the moment.

And as the Hylian Shield itself began to crack at the upper base, Volvagia's breath ceased once more. The dragon already taking another long breath in, to try and finish its pray once for all.

Panting heavily in exhaustion and pain, Link glared at the creature in front of him; his mind racing a thousand miles a moment to try and find a way out. Resting his damaged shield on his back, his left hand tried to reach for anything that could help him against that thing.

Right then, his fingers brushed against a slight cold metallic surface.

His eyes widened as an idea crossed his mind.

"A monster like you cannot be allowed to be free." Link said loudly, trying to overpower the sound of gushing air entering the dragon's mouth. "I don't care about trials; I don't care about being a hero… But I will destroy you today. No one else will die by your flames. That I swear!"

Pulling the Hookshot from his belt, Link aimed it forward and let the chains loose.

The metal head of the Hookshot firmly attacked itself onto Volvagia's face, pulling Link readily onto the dragon's head.

Growling in panic and exasperation, Volvagia began to trash and swing its head wildly trying to shake the hero away from it.

Responding to the dragon's aggression by sticking the Master Sword on its flesh, Link hang on tight and firm, giving no quarter as the dragon grew more desperate by the second.

Releasing all the air it had inhaled into a pointless scream raging with fire, Volvagia took up to the air again. Flying into a blind rage, the dragon pointed its read upwards and never stopped; going at full speed towards the bruised and damaged ceiling above them.

"B-By the spirits! You have to be JOKIN-" Link's voice was muffled by the sound of stone crushing and breaking.

Disregarding safety or cohesion, Volvagia flew headfirst into the stone, sinking deep inside and disappearing into the mountain's body with the Hero attached to its head.

* * *

Watching as the last Goron climbed up the bridge and ran inside their city, Sheik let himself get caught by the creeping exhaustion that has been taking a toll on his body.

Taking a surprisingly clean piece of cloth from his pouch, he wiped the dust and dirt from his face, even cleaning the sweat-stained marks on his forehead. Sighing deeply to vent out some of his frustration, Sheik sought out his red-haired friend that is sitting on the Temple's pedestal with a blank stare.

Gently squeezing himself next to Vahn, Sheik leaned backward on his hands, letting his gaze float upwards to those scary red clouds in the sky.

"Four hours?" Vahn suddenly said quietly, making Sheik give a curious look at him. "At least three hours, right?"

"Mind elaborating on those words?" Sheik said back quietly, chuckling softly at the smaller boy.

"Oh, I'm just thinking that It's been three hours that I've joined you guys," Vahn explained. "And so far, I almost died at least five times. Six, if you consider the mountain that is about to explode."

At the first moment, Sheik wore a small look of worry on his face. But seeing the playful way that his friend is shaking his head, he just smiled and went along. "Regretting it already?" He asked shortly.

Vahn laughed, way louder and warmly than he had expected to be. "Not really. I feel that some years of my life have slipped away in each jump scare I suffered down there. But hey, I knew where I was putting myself into. Just like I said to my master, one can't truly know the reality of history without living through it."

Sheik smiled at Vahn again, then he drifted his eyes back up the sky. "You're a brave one, Vahn. Not everyone would still follow us after today."

"It's about time you learn that I'm not like everyone." Vahn replied with a cheeky grin.

The pair of boys shared a peal of good-hearted laughter; and if any person out of their circle could see them right now, laughing and smiling right next to a raging volcano, they would call those two insane.

But their small moment of reprise was interrupted by another roar of the mountain. This one louder, stronger, and almost too powerful to bear.

"AHHH, IT'S THE SIXTH TIME, IT'S THE SIXTH!" Vahn yelled in distress, taking both hands to his head as he laid down and curled into a ball on the metallic platform. "The Mountain is blowing up."

Just as startled as his red-haired companion, Sheik shot up to his feet. His ruby eyes glancing all around them, watching as the bulky of the mountain in front of them began to crack and break.

"Goddesses help us… did Link fail?" He unconsciously asked away, his words only making Vahn yelp and curl even more.

Sheik pulled his short sword from its sheath at his waist. Even if felt futile, he wanted to feel armed, at least ready to attempt to engage whatever is tearing the mountain open.

Biting his lower lip furiously, the young Sheikah stepped down the ancient platform. He poised himself with his sword-arm in front of him and waited for this threat to finally appear.

As he breathed in, blinking in reflex just to rest his eyes for a split second; stone and fire exploded out, parting half the wall into a gaping hole. From within this chaotic outburst came a gigantic serpentine form of a dragon.

Sheik felt his breath leave his lungs. As a Sheikah he has faced many threats in his young life, survived so much for the sake of his princess; but nothing compares to his monstrous being in front of his eyes.

Swallowing dry in anxiety, Sheik steeled himself for the brutal end that would surely come for him.

However, contrary to what the red-eyed blond was dreading, the dragon turned its head up and flew far high and away from the two of them.

Blowing out the air he didn't even know he was holding, Sheik sheathed his sword and watched as the dragon continued to rise.

"Is that…" He said narrowing his eyes. "Farore's mercy, that's Link?!"

"Wha- Where?!" Vahn jumped next to Sheik, he moved so fast that almost felt like he wasn't the one curled into a ball just moments ago.

Too dumbfounded to reply with words, Sheik just reached with his hand to Vahn's chin and pointed his head upwards.

"Sheik… I know that a giant flying lizard is absurd as it gets… but how am I be able to process Link doing THAT?"

Sheik snorted light-heartedly, even if his chest is pounding with anxiety. "When I learn how to grasp it myself, maybe I can teach you."

* * *

It hurts… everything hurts.

The burning marks on his arms and legs hurt so much that Link could cry right about now. However as mind-numbing as the pain of Volvagia's flame inflicted on him, it feels like a little drop of water on the ocean of pure pain that are the harsh cuts and bruises on his bare back.

Despite Volvagia's almost suicidal effort to crash through the mountain, Link still held in place. Even as his back tackled and brushed harshly against the breaking earth, he never let go.

As a result, what was left of his tunic got totally ruined, leaving Link only on his white leggings and one boot. His bare back is painted with brown and red, dust and earth glued on his skin with the lines of blood leaking from his wounds.

"I…" Link used his left arm to grapple at the dragon's nose. "Will not…" Pulling his right arm back he tore the Master Blade out from Volvagia's scaled flesh. "LET YOU WIN!"

Pushing his arm back, he almost fell out from the sky, but using his legs he managed to stay wrapped onto the dragon.

Letting his voice roar louder than the blowing winds crashing on his back, Link plunged his weapon far into Volvagia's forehead, sinking the sword so deep that he only stopped at the sword-guard.

Volvagia excruciating screech echoed in the sky, making waves on the red clouds, pushing them away enough to make a single clear spot. The dragon trashed, twisted, and clawed at its head, trying hard to pull the hero away from it.

Link twisted his weapon with enough strength to break some bones on Volvagia's head. "AAAARRRRGGHHH!" With one last tug, he pulled the weapon out and plunged it back onto another spot right next to the first hole.

Another scream exploded away from Volvagia. The dragon's whole body twitched, in one last large spams of pain. Then the bright green light of its eyes began to fade as its mouth laid wide open.

Letting out one final gasp of life, Volvagia began to glow, a light that became stronger and stronger.

Then, an explosion assailed the sky.

Volvagia, King of Dragons; death incarnate bound within this mountain, was vanquished.

* * *

Sheik and Vahn watched in horror as their friend disappeared inside that massive explosion above in the clouds.

They both screamed and cried the hero's name, but their voices were utterly overwhelmed by the bombastic sound thundering from above.

Falling to his knees, Vahn brought both hands to his face; hot tears already running down his cheeks.

Sheik, however, kept his gaze fixated on that bright ball of fire.

He couldn't believe it would end like this; he would never accept it. A cold and piercing pain scratched at the door of his heart, but he refused to acknowledge it. Their journey, Link's journey would never end this way.

But as the light slowly died out, leaving a giant hole within the red clouds, his tears began to escape his control.

"N-No… It can't… L-Lin-"

"aaaaaAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Startled out of his thoughts, Sheik felt too stunned to move after he heard a familiar scream that is getting louder and louder.

Blinking his confused stupor away, he saw by the corner of his eyes what resembles the head of that dragon, but charred and jet black. Attached to said head, is a terrified blond, screaming for his life as he holds very tight to his only safety spot.

Unable to even breathe, Sheik could only watch as that giant skull came crashing down on the edge of the volcano and bounced almost comically up in the air, just to fall on the steep outer side of the mountain.

"Did I hear things?" Vahn asked, sounding just as stunned as Sheik feels. "That voice… was that?"

Crouching down with one hand clenching his chest, Sheik felt even more tears grace his eyes; his lips trembling into a short smile. "Thank the goddesses…" Allowing himself at least a few seconds with this overwhelming sense of relief, Sheik then stood up and looked as poised and composed as ever.

"Hah… Hahah…. Hahahah." Vahn's tears of sorrow soon got washed away by tears of relief. "I-I swear. If not even a giant dragon thingy can take on Link, he must be invincible."

Shaking his head ever so slightly, Sheik gave Vahn a light tap on his shoulder and smiled. "Come, we have a hero to retrieve."

* * *

" **Link..."** A familiar voice called out to him. Soft and warm, carrying the winds of spring in each spoken word.

" **Link…"** A second one echoed within the same colorless void. Strong and loud, powerful as the brave man that once carried the weight of his people.

"Saria…? Darunia…?" Link replied with soundless words, his eyes too heavy to open and look anywhere.

He heard an echoey giggle, exactly like his longtime friend always did.

" **Don't lose your path."** Saria said sadly, a tone Link has never heard in her voice.

" **No matter what happens, I'll always be proud to have called you my brother."** Darunia boomed loudly as he has usually spoken. Still, lingering underneath his fiery personality, Link could notice a deep sense of sadness just like Saria before him.

'Why are they so sad?' Link tried to force his eyes open but to no avail.

"Saria… Darunia… Sorry I couldn't save you guys… I am so sorry…"

" **Link."**

" **Link."**

Both called out to him at the same time, their sense of sadness turning into grief and then into sorrow.

"Link!" Another voice called out to the hero. This one feels real, closer. "Can you hear me? Vahn, help me lift this thing away from him."

Groaning quietly in pain, Link was finally able to open his blue eyes to the sight of the raging red sky.

"Sheik…?" Blinking away the gloom and blur from his eyes, Link saw both of his friends struggling to roll Volvagia's skull to the side, pushing the huge thing away from him.

"Link…" Sheik said softly as he kneeled next to Link. "You look awful… Please be careful." He warned as he slowly helped the hero sit up.

Taking the spot on the opposite side of Link, Vahn sat down and held the hero by his arm. "Why is your hand glowing?" He asked, pointing at Link's ungloved hand.

"Huh? What is… ghh…. ARRGGHGHHH!" Arching forward in pain, Link grabbed the side of his head with his left hand, holding his right one in front of him as he screamed.

Both Sheik and Vahn jump startled. The Sheikah moving forward to pull Link into a deeply concerned embrace, while the young Chronicler tried to still his blond friend's feverishly warm trembling hand.

With a jolt of his body, Link pushed himself free from both of them. Slowing rising to his feet, he closed his eyes and shot his right hand far high in the air.

The golden form of his Triforce shone with a blinding light. Expanding its glow into a full triangle in the air, this light began to sizzle and crackled with power. From Link's extended arm, a beacon of pure light flew up to the sky, storming against the darkness and malevolence impregnating the air.

Spreading in a show of blue and golden, the Triforce's light slowly faded, restoring the sky to its normal blue color.

Finally, the people living near Death Mountain can see the sun slowly setting far in the back.

Utterly exhausted, Link fell to his knees while panting heavily for air. At the same moment, Sheik and Vahn moved closer to keep the hero from falling forward.

"Are you okay?" Sheik asked still overwhelmed with worry.

"That… that… WAS AMAZING!" Vahn yelped like an overexcited little boy. "Look, the sky is all blue and fine again. Does that always happen after a Temple? Is that how this works? Link just shoots some light and everything bad goes away?"

Sheik rolled his eyes at the red-haired boy, then turned his attention back to Link. "How are you feeling?" Then his gaze fell on the hero's bloodied back. "Your back… goddesses, what happened to you down there?"

A soft but carefree chuckle sounded from Link's lips. "I am fine… I am fine." Wincing in pain, he slowly pulled himself back to sit down and shift his gaze to the beautiful blue color of the sky. "It's almost as if I removed a giant boulder from my shoulders. Even with the pain, my body feels so light and easy to move." Turning his gaze to Sheik's pretty red eyes, Link smiled. A sincere and elated smile. "Sheik. I feel so… free."

The still glowing symbol on the Hero's hand slowly faded into a slumber once again, leaving only a faint glow in the shape of a half-filled triangle, the upper half almost too faded for anyone to see.

* * *

As the golden and blue light of the Triforce dissipated from the Death Mountain, its glow traveled across the sky.

This ripple flew across Hyrule like a straight arrow with a clear target. After arriving above the giant Lake Hylia, the streak of light stopped and swirled around itself.

Turning, changing, and spinning. This stream of light transformed into a big ball of pure energy. Then with a flash of light, it came crashing down upon the dried lake.

With no one to see or witness. The Triforce of Courage light invaded the earth, traveling with a purpose.

With not a soul to see, the destiny of Hyrule has shifted into another direction once again.

* * *

_**End of Part I - Awakening** _


	16. Interlude I – Rising Shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hey, leaving this here to explain that this chapter will be a little different from the ones before. Given that it's a Interlude, a pause between parts, it will present another point of view and most importantly it will be narrated in a very different way; or better put, it will not be narrated by "Me" the writer.
> 
> For the narrator, well it will be pretty obvious once you guys start reading it. Anyway, enough of my ramblings.
> 
> Enjoy

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.**

* * *

**Interlude I – Rising Shadow**

* * *

_I see…_

_That fool managed to destroy the dragon._

_Heh, of course he did. I expected nothing less from my other half._

_These blasted chains that held me for so long, they are finally losing their hold over me._

_Yes… I can move my arms. I can finally move my head enough to see what's under my feet._

_Water?_

_Where am I?_

_This feeling at my back, what is this?_

_A tree? A dying tree?_

_Hahah, I see._

_That old owl pinned me against a tree. A single crooked branch used as a pole for those chains to hold my arms over my head._

_What a sick joke._

_No more, you bastard. You will imprison me no longer._

" **Link."**

_S-Saria?_

_No... I must be going insane in this hell._

" **Link."**

_Oh, now you're using Darunia's voice?_

_Is this your doing, you old farce? Is this your next sick little game, huh? RAURU?!_

" _ **Don't lose your path."**_

_What is this light? Is that…!_

" _ **No matter what happens, I'll always be proud to have called you my brother."**_

_Saria… Darunia…_

_Why are you here? How can the two of you be here?_

_Not lose my path? Pride?_

_Hah… Haha…. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA._

_WHERE WERE YOU IN ALL THESE YEARS?!_

_Saria, my first and dearest friend. Darunia! My so called sworn-brother._

_Where were you both, while I ROTTEN AWAY for SEVEN YEARS in this fucking hole?_

_TELL ME!_

_Where were you when I needed you… any of you…_

_I've spent so long… so long in this darkness. Little by little getting lost in this hell. Just watching the lives of strangers, of people that I know… of people I thought as friends._

_Then, I was forced to watch my own life continue through the eyes of someone else._

_Like I've never existed before, as if I'm not here anymore…_

_No more._

" **Link."**

_I've enough of this._

" **Link."**

_ENOUGH!_

_Rauru, are you still there in Sacred Realm? Can you see me?_

_You failed to foresee this, old man. Two trials have fallen. My other half has gathered the power of two sages._

_This is the end of your feeble attempt to hold me. Now we are far stronger than you. I've grown stronger than these bonds!_

" **Don't do this, Link. I know the kindness of your heart, don't turn your back on Hyrule. Don't give in to the hatred in your heart."**

Hyrule has turned its back on me first, Saria. I'll only return the favor.

" **Brother… I once let others influence my heart. It was your courage that saved me and my people from disaster. This day I want to repay your kindness… Vengeance and justice are not the same, let go of your anger."**

_Empty words coming from someone who's abandoned me…_

_But I promise I will regain what was stolen from me and nothing will stop that. Not even you two._

_Wait, what's this… power?_

_My right hand is… glowing? The Triforce!_

_Yes… YES! The chains are vanishing, they are crumbling._

_I am… I am…_

" **Link..."**

_This voice... You dare show yourself in front of me, old man?_

_Don't look at me like that... DON'T YOU DARE SHOW THOSE PITIFUL EYES TO ME._

" **Link… know only that… I wanted to spare you from the pain. The darkness Ganondorf had planted on you, it shouldn't be allowed to exist."**

_After all this, your pity feels as nothing more than pure mockery, you bastard. Please take it and your sympathetic intentions and shove them where your old owl claws cannot reach._

_Behold the monster of your own creation, venerable Sage of Light._

_Ahhh…. To feel firm ground under my feet again. To think I would've missed feeling the sensation of soaked boots on my feet._

_Seven years… Seven years stuck hanging on this tree, bonded by those hateful chains of light._

_Look, Saria! Darunia! I'm free, I am—_

_Gone? They're gone?_

_No… I am the one that left. The one sent back to Hyrule._

_Hyrule…_

_Sheik…_

* * *


End file.
